“I Wish You All the Best” is a Balm for Non-Binary Kids Who Need it
Is there anyone on the planet who made it through high school unscathed? The answer, even without polling the world, is no. High school is hell for everyone who steps through those doors, but the depths of hell vary from person to person. It’s what makes the coming-of-age film such a tried-and-true genre. Today this genre is expanding. More voices are being heard, and they offer a roadmap of sorts to the next generation. Here’s where we came from, but here’s where you can take us. In Tommy Dorfman’s directorial debut, I Wish You All the Best, she explores life as a non-binary teen in North Carolina and the different ways families fall apart and come together.
Teenage Ben (Corey Fogelmanis) lives in North Carolina with their parents (Amy Landecker & Judson Mills). Ben spends much of their time at school or at home alone, focusing on art and listening to music, clearly disconnected from the world around them. One evening, Ben comes out to their religious parents, who react negatively, kicking Ben out of the house. Desperate and with nowhere to go, Ben calls their estranged sister, Hannah (Alexandra Daddario), who gives them a place to stay without blinking an eye. Hannah and her husband (Cole Sprouse) enroll Ben in a new school where they meet Nathan (Miles Gutierrez-Riley), a charming, openly bisexual boy who breaks down Ben’s walls.
Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
As someone who grew up in the golden era of teen movies (from the ’90s and early-aughts), there will always be something joyful about seeing the sidekicks from those movies finally being given the spotlight. In the teen movies of yesteryear, the queer kids were the best friends who didn’t have any real problems or identities. They just existed to deliver clever one-liners. As much fun as that role is, only seeing yourself represented in that way makes you feel like you’re not the star of your own story. I Wish You All the Best gives non-binary and bisexual young people the chance to be the hero of their life story.
I Wish You All the Best gives its vulnerable viewers hope, and that’s the most important gift a film can give to underrepresented people. For Ben, things at the beginning of their story are bleak. Their parents kicked them out, they don’t feel connected to any classmates, and they aren’t an active participant of the world around them. As the film progresses, and as Ben loses their connection to their parents, Ben learns that’s not the end of everything. That life and love exist in many varieties in this wide, wonderful world. Most importantly, Ben discovers that the reaction of their parents has nothing to do with Ben, not really. It’s their choice to turn their backs on their child, that Ben living their true identity and having their parents accept it is not asking too much. It’s the bare minimum of the parent/child relationship.
Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
As with all teen movies, the cast of characters that surrounds Ben is delightful. Gutierrez-Riley’s Nathan is undeniably charismatic, the perfect dreamy love interest. Sprouse’s well-meaning but awkward Thomas is endearing as Ben’s brother-in-law, while Daddario turns in a heartfelt performance as Hannah, who has reasons of her own for being disconnected from her parents. Lena Dunham’s role as the chaotic art teacher is the sort of oddball adult figure all teen movies need to guide the lost main character down the path they’re afraid to take.
The thesis statement of this film is best summed up in this line: “I wish you all the best because you deserve it.” Young queer people who grow up surrounded by adults who tell them they’re doomed to hell because of their identity often feel they don’t deserve happiness. That’s not true, but if every authority figure in your life is telling you that, how do you find the hope to continue to be who you are? I Wish You All the Best is a balm for this weary world. A source of hope when hope feels lost. Ben’s story is not unique. There are young people around the world trying to find the words to describe themselves, and I Wish You All the Best will give them a place to start.
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