Anything's Possible (2022)

Anything's Possible is sharp in how it eschews the after-school-special feel of movies like this and instead makes a biting critique of Cis reactions to Trans-ness while still remaining firmly in the rom-com genre's boundaries. I was worried Anything's Possible would try to sugar coat the navigations around Trans teens dating but instead it does a great job of breaking down the ways Cis people, from allies to transphobes and everyone in between, make the everyday experience of living more difficult for Trans people. 

Often people who are not in the majority are portrayed in films as heroic for simply being themselves, and their journey is often portrayed as a challenge in itself to be overcome or survived. But Anything's Possible takes a different approach. Kelsa is centred as being human and it is the way those around her interact with her which is what must be overcome or survived. Like all majorities, Cis people create a normative structure that centres themselves so Kelsa, who in being herself wants to just be average, can never be, because Cis people can't see her that way. The film examines this flaw in the Cis-normative world she lives in, even perpetuated by those who love her. 

The film, written by a Trans woman and directed by a gender non-conforming man, explores Kelsa's desires for averageness and her awakening to her own power as special and unique. It is all done through the romantic comedy lens with a witty script and a charming love story at the centre. Reign as Kelsa is cute, sassy, and perfectly coifed while Ali as the object of her affection is as hunky and dreamy as any CW show cast. Their chemistry is palpable and their romance has all the charm and drama that teen romances are supposed to have. But the film doesn't cheat on the ending. It provides Kelsa with the ending (or perhaps beginning) that a young woman just starting out should have while also giving the people around her the wake up they need to be better people. One character says "at least it's not who I want to be" when talking about what she's done. There is a lot of reflection going on here about just how we walk through this life expecting things to be "normal".

I've made the film seem heavy but it's not. Despite packing all of the above into its story, Anything Possible is a light, breezy, rom com that is enjoyable and will leave you smiling. And it's young cute cast has a bright future ahead. 

Anything's Possible

Starring: Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Courtnee Carter, Kelly Lamor Wilson, Grant Reynolds, Lav Ramen

Director: Billy Porter

Writer: Ximena García Lecuona