I Wish You All The Best: In Search of Hope

by Uma Snow

I cried five times at the premiere of Tommy Dorfman’s I Wish You All the Best (2024). Based on Mason Deaver’s book of the same name, the film follows the life of non-binary teenager Ben (Corey Fogelmanis) as they are forced out of their house after coming out to their parents. I haven’t read the book, so I can’t speak to how the film does as an adaptation. But as a story, and as a film, it is heartwarming, honest, and hopeful.

We don’t see the details of the fallout between Ben and their parents, but the brief flashbacks are devastating enough. The argument finds Ben wandering alone in the night until they call their sister, Hannah (Alexandra Daddario), for help. Despite not having been in contact with the family for years, Hannah drops everything to pick Ben up, and she immediately gains the audience’s trust. Overnight, Ben settles back into Hannah’s life, and into the house she shares with her husband, Thomas (Cole Sprouse), and their baby. 

Over the next weeks, Hannah and Thomas slowly get Ben to open up, enrolling them in the high school Thomas teaches at, setting them up with a part-time job, and doing what they can to help Ben feel comfortable in their own skin. At the new school, Ben befriends (and quickly develops a crush on) Nathan (Miles Gutierrez-Riley) and finds comfort in their art class and teacher (Lena Dunham). Slowly, despite ongoing turbulence with their parents, we get to see Ben bloom into a self that is sure and true. 

Overall, I Wish You All the Best is a wonderful film. The soundtrack is great. Fogelmanis plays the role of Ben well. Sprouse makes for a fun “brother-dad.” Dunham embodies the eccentric teacher that the average young queer teenager latches onto perfectly. Any awkwardness in the Gen Z dialogue is made up for with the love and sincerity permeating the relationships between Ben, Nathan, and their friends. I didn’t mind any of the film’s imperfections because the feeling of it—the emotion—is what truly lingers. 

In the post-premiere Q&A, Dorfman spoke about wanting to make a queer movie centered on hope, rather than trauma. And that is exactly what this film does—it shows that there is always love to be found in friends, chosen family, and community. It’s a movie that I wish existed 10 years ago, one that I know is going to be a comfort for a whole new generation of queer youth.