LGBTQ+ icon Billy Porter makes his directorial debut with Anything’s Possible, a coming-of-age romantic teen film about an out and proud trans girl from a 2020 Blacklist script. Porter revealed in a letter to the press that what he “found within [the script’s] pages took my breath away . The scriptwriter’s obvious intention to present the transgender community in a new light blew me away: JOY!” So does the new film live up to that promise?
ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: Kelsa (Eva Reign) is a typical high school student: she loves to dress up, vlog about her life and hang out with her best friends. The only thing that makes her different is that she is trans – something she wears loud and proud. Read also : Is Where Crawdads Sing is on Netflix? (where to stream). When she begins a relationship with Khal (Abubakr Ali), who her best friend Em (Courtnee Carter) is also in love with, the true colors of everyone in their lives come to the surface.
What will it remind you of?: Truly the first film of its kind with an openly trans character living their lives happily, it will remind you of films like Love, Simon or Hello, Goodbye and Everything In Between.
Performance worth watching: Renee Elise Goldsberry knocks it out of the park as Kelsa’s single mother, masterfully alternating between being her best friend and biggest cheerleader and actually being her protective mother. An honorable mention to Manu Narayan who plays Khal’s father and has a few perfect line deliveries throughout the film.
Memorable Dialogue: “Names are what make us unique.” This line speaks to both Khal and Kelsa’s experiences: Khal reclaims his brown heritage as he tries to adopt his birth name Khalid, while Kelsa is her chosen name, representing who she is and wants to be.
Sex and skin: There is some skin, but no explicit sex.
Our Take: There’s so much to love about this movie. Not only is it a contemporary and youthful film about living your life proudly, but it also doesn’t shy away from real questions and conflicts that arise from that truth. Kelsa isn’t afraid to embrace who she is, but much of the film’s conflict centers on the outcome of that choice—whether it’s school administrators or people in her inner circle who weaponize her identity against her. It celebrates the spirit of truth and success in a beautiful way. The film also features an interracial couple between two people of color instead of centering whiteness, and uses that casting to have real conversations about ethnic names and reclaiming your identity, which was so refreshing to see.
Khal’s friend Otis is painted as the villain not only because of his opposition to Kelsa’s identity, but also because of his inability to change and see the error of his ways. Perhaps the best part of the film is that not everyone is granted a redemption arc. The film is deeply rooted in reality; it highlights that sometimes the backwards and hateful views of some people are not things we can look past in a friendship. And it’s okay to let go of what no longer serves you. Anything’s Possible does not shy away from seeing the darkness, but chooses to let the characters stand for their morals.
Of course, there are a few nitpicks. Kelsa and her friends dress in fabulous clothes, but their outfits would be grounds for detention at the high school I attended. At times, Eva Reign’s line delivery feels a little forced, especially when sharing scenes with the powerhouse, Goldsberry. And Khal’s college drama with his parents feels like an afterthought that gets tied up in too nice a bow. But these are minor quibbles in an urgent and beautiful story.
Our appeal: STREAM IT. Billy Porter’s directorial debut is a love story that is both relevant and joyful.
Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in Paste Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vulture and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate on Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You can call her Rad.
