Every generation of teens should have its own moving coming-of-age story, and the youngsters of 2024 now have Tommy Dorfman to thank. The actress makes her directorial and screenwriting debut with the tender I Wish You All the Best, a portrait of a non-binary teen finding their identity with a fraught family life, an accessible, Love, Simon-esque movie for anyone questioning their gender identity.
I Wish You All the Best, which premiered Tuesday at the SXSW Film Festival, follows the events of Mason Deaver’s YA novel of the same name. Ben (Corey Fogelmanis) is a teenager who’s positive they’re non-binary but unsure of how to announce that fact to the world. They try their best to practice coming out to their religious parents. But when they finally become brave enough to explain their gender identity, they’re immediately told to leave the house. Ben seeks refuge with their older sister Hannah (Alexandra Daddario), who has been estranged from the family for about a decade, as well as her husband Thomas (Cole Sprouse) and their baby Clyde.
Hannah and Thomas’ gentle compassion for Ben is immediately endearing. Hannah takes Ben shopping for a new, more androgynous closet they actually feel confident wearing while Thomas, a high school teacher, helps enroll them in classes and introduces them to the eccentric art teacher, Ms. Lyons (Lena Dunham). And for the record: Dunham was born to play a quirked-up, somewhat cringe-inducing art teacher. This is perhaps the best casting job in ages. Although Ms. Lyons only appears in a few scenes, her effect on Ben is lasting, and Dunham is transfixing in her few minutes of screentime.
In fact, it is Ms. Lyons who finally cracks Ben’s shell enough for them to fully come out. Up until around 30 minutes into the movie, Ben hasn’t officially been identified as “non-binary”—they’ve just mentioned coming out to their parents, which caused the tiff. It takes Ben’s parents showing up at Hannah’s house demanding that their teenage child come home for Hannah to start to question what actually went down. After weeks of stuttering things like, “I’m non…I’m not…I’m not straight,” Ben finally works up the confidence to tell Hannah and Thomas their real identity.
“OK,” Thomas says, smiling. “Alright, buddy. What’s that feel like?” Ben is relieved to not only be accepted, but to also be asked about what’s going on inside their head. Hannah is relieved that this is the big problem their parents were worked up about, not something more dramatic like they had teased. Although I Wish You All the Best is a story of queer hardship, it is also, thank goodness, quite soft and kind toward its LGBTQ+ characters. This sweet non-binary kid may have quite a bit of trauma, but that trauma is balanced with an equal amount of supportive characters so as to not make the movie impossibly sad to watch.
Ben also finds a fun bunch of friends at school, including a boyfriend, Nathan (Miles Gutierrez-Riley), and besties Sophie (Lisa Yamada) and Meleika (Lexi Underwood). Ben and Nathan’s love story brings out the Love, Simon side of the movie; they’re two high schoolers that are able to both confide in their struggles of being queer as well as unpack their more intimate connection as well. I Wish You All the Best features one of the most delightful, graceful sex scenes in any recent teen movie, giving Ben and Nathan the space to solidify their bond and show the lasting impact of first loves.
These young stars, led by Fogelmanis, are absolutely exceptional. Fogelmanis and Gutierrez-Riley have marvelous on-screen chemistry, a love story that should be inspirational to any queer youth who have the opportunity to watch this story. But through and through, I Wish You All the Best is Fogelmanis’ movie, and they completely excel at taking charge of the story and portraying a wide breadth of emotions as they grapple with a coming out story. In a similar sense, Dorfman has a distinct directorial vision, offering an exciting, colorful vision to her important story.
At times, I Wish You All the Best can verge on coming off as melodramatic. References to King Princess and Noah Centineo are a tad too out-of-touch with teen lingo and will ultimately date the film. Still, stories like these shouldn’t be “timeless,” although they unfortunately often are—but stories about queer trauma like I Wish You All the Best should, hopefully, become a relic as a past as the world becomes more accepting.
Like many teen movies, I Wish You All the Best does become heavy-handed and cheesy at certain points, but that in no way diminishes the poignancy it offers. Fogelmanis and Dorfman are a dynamic duo, certainly the right people to tell this story. The upcoming and current generation of queer—and especially non-binary—youth is lucky to have this movie in their back pocket as they continue to explore their identities.
