Non-Binary Teens Get the Love They Deserve in Tommy Dorfman’s Debut Film

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.

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