I Wish You All the Best- SXSW 2024

March 19th, 2024

MOVIE: I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST

STARRING: COREY FOGILMANIS, ALEXANDRA DADDARIO, COLE SPROUSE

AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 STARS (Out of 4)

One of the greatest parts of cinema is how it challenges us to step outside our comfort zone. I tell others to be brave and find a film they typically would never watch. If horror frightens you, take in the terror of Hereditary, or step onto the Nostromo in Alien. If you’re uncomfortable watching subtitles then face that discomfort and watch a Bergman film. This way of thinking will open your mind to the world. I say this because I Wish You All the Best is a movie I hope audiences will see, especially conservatives, bigots, and narrow-minded people who would never try to walk in the shoes of a non-binary person. If they don’t take the challenge then you can never understand and the reality is that some will refuse to give a movie like this a chance. Director Tommy Dorfman‘s message is that it’s their loss. You can’t force people to change but can live life in the way that makes you happy. I Wish You All the Best is a darling film about a high school kid who found happiness by being themselves.

The beginning involves our lead character Ben (played wonderfully by Corey Fogelmanis), sitting on the couch of their home, mother (Amy Landecker) and father (Judson Mills) standing in the kitchen, as they read a notecard. On the card is what Ben wants to say to their parents and let them know that they don’t identify as their male selves anymore. With this revelation, the parents being the devout Christians they say they are, kick Ben out of their house, leaving them stranded in the rain. The only person they can go to is their estranged sister Hannah(Alexandra Daddario), who she takes them in, even with a newborn and husband Thomas (Cole Sprouse) unprepared for the sudden change.

Adapted from the award-winning novel by Mason Deaver, what Dorfman does so well is establish the setting for Ben, which much like their body, is tangled and new. There is great fear and navigation of this new space so they can exist. They enroll at Thomas’ school and find kindness from friends Sophie (Lisa Yamada), Meleika (Lexi Underwood), and love interest Nathan (Miles Gutierrez-Riley). With great support and guidance from their sister, we see what it looks like to not only love someone for who they are but to help them on the path to feeling like they belong. We see this connection as well in the budding romance between Ben and Nathan, which is both delightful and beautiful, an expression of young love that all high school children can relate to.

If there are low marks to be given, sometimes I Wish You All the Best is too perfect, giving off a sense of a Hallmark movie or a too-ideal situation. There are not enough bullies at this school nor a representation of the mistreatment that Ben would receive. That’s not to say that Dorfman is letting anyone off the hook nor is it sugar-coated, as the bad guys are Ben’s parents and they are not coming around. The reality is that families break up, and can be destroyed by the bigotry of others, but this is not a story to make those who hate to feel better. What it becomes is a path to see how a non-binary person can find peace, love, and freedom.

This tender and wonderfully honest approach comes from the heart and humanity of director Tommy Dorfman– making their first feature. I Wish You All the Best feels like the non-binary 2024 version of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. It’s not just a road map to how we should be accepting of others but what it should be. Fogelmanis is a breakout star, never shy to let his emotions pour out, bringing the character of Ben to life with a gentle grace. This is a film that wears its heart on its sleeve and deserves its moment in the sun. Or maybe we just Wish It All the Best.

I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST WAS PART OF THE 2024 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL AND WILL BE RELEASED AT A LATER DATE.

3 STARS

Written by: Leo Brady
leo@amovieguy.com

Leo Brady