Anything’s Possible, 2022.
Directed by Billy Porter.
Starring Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Courtnee Carter, Kelly Lamor Wilson, Grant Reynolds, Simone Joy Jones, Tordy Clark, Naveen Paddock, Caroline Travers, and Alec Ludacka.
SYNOPSIS:
A delightfully modern Gen Z coming-of-age story that follows Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year.
Early on during singer/actor Billy Porter’s directorial debut, Anything’s Possible (using a script from Ximena García Lecuona), 17-year-old high school senior Kelsa (Eva Reign) mentions in one of her highly personal YouTube videos (offering thoughts and commentary on the transgender experience since her transitioning) that she doesn’t want to be liked for those reasons. As she puts it, some people will give her a pass or be a fake ally for “woke points.” And for as wonderful as a mainstream trans-centric film to exist, that’s also a fair thought process to keep in mind for breaking down something as refreshing as transgender identity and romance at the forefront of a narrative.
That’s one way of saying what’s here is often messy (the third act especially is worse off for expanding the scope of the story while also jumping the shark in regards to social media and going viral, as many movies tend to get wrong and utilize in a contrived manner) even if the central bonding lovebirds are immensely likable while dealing with sincerely laid out struggles.
It’s quite frustrating that everything outside Kelsa’s pondering about gender, how she wants to be seen and treated, and burgeoning love life with fellow artistically inclined classmate Khal (Abubakr Ali) either comes across as hokey, overblown or an opportunity for terrible comedy punctuated by cringe punchlines (Kelsa is fascinated by wildlife and nature, so most jokes involve depicting the rest of the school and students within that realm; for example, one student desperately tries to woo another but does so with the personality of a dimwitted animal).
Kelsa also has her girl squad consisting of Courtnee Carter’s Em and Kelly Lamor Wilson’s Chris, with the former also having a crush on Khal. As it turns out, Khal only has eyes for Kelsa, paving the way for a generic love triangle that threatens to break up the harmony between friends. Meanwhile, Khal has to deal with the possibility of losing his transphobic (and all-around horrible person) friend, who is not going to accept them dating once he inevitably finds out. The real question is why these two are friends in the first place, but the script only seems concerned with roadblocks and drama for the sake of it rather than interrogating and characterizing it in any meaningful way beyond the surface-level notion of seeing a story like this play out on a mainstream streaming service like Amazon.
Fortunately, when Kelsa and Khal are on screen together, Anything’s Possible finds its rhythm as a romance about a girl that solely wants to be seen for who she is, with the acknowledgment that anything regarding her identity is up to her to figure out whether it be alone or through YouTube videos. Naturally, there is some organic clashing here, considering Khal as a genuinely kind kid who sometimes tries to help too much, missing Kelsa’s point. It’s also beneficial that Eva Reign and Abubakr Ali have awkwardly charming chemistry as they navigate what makes their blossoming relationship unique.
Everything else is rough around the edges; there are multiple embarrassing attempts at jokes, some plot developments that derail the love story aspect in favor of a primer on the proper way to be an activist and ally (with some questionable dialogue that feels ripped from a Twitter algorithm rather than something humans would say to each other), and some overparenting/lecturing on Internet stranger danger that is also poorly written.
Also, while friends betray each other and bullies exist, Anything’s Possible is far too tame and sanitized for any of that and its resolution to make an impact. The dynamic also doesn’t work as a commentary on how we lose friends and gain new ones as we grow older and mature and become different people (sometimes people opposed to what our current friends believe), as those friendships are nowhere near explored enough for something along those lines to resonate.
Looking beyond those issues, Billy Porter (who does also bring a strong sense of fashion here in regards to colorful character wardrobes and glamorous bedroom designs) succeeds at depicting the core relationship in a way that is also unquestionably universal (you don’t have to be transgender to want your partner to love you for who you are). He also has a creative visual mind, bringing to life Reddit posts via characters imagining what the user looks like and sounds like reading the post.
So while Anything’s Possible is a mishmash of elements that do and don’t work, it also suggests a strong possibility of Billy Porter evolving as a filmmaker and telling similarly refreshing stories with more emotional bite.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
