Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Anything’s Possible’ on Amazon Prime Video, A Heartwarming Romance About A Young Trans Girl

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 Black List script. Porter revealed in a letter to the press that what he “found in the [screenplay’s] pages took my breath away. The screenwriter’s obvious intention to present the transgender community in a new light blew me away: JOY!” So, does the new film make good on 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 with her besties. The only thing that makes her different is that she’s trans — something that she wears loud and proud. When she strikes up a relationship with Khal (Abubakr Ali), whom her best friend Em (Courtnee Carter) also has a crush on, the true colors of everyone in their lives comes to the surface.

What Will It Remind You Of?: It’s truly the first film of its kind with an openly trans character living their life joyously, and 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 mom who masterfully alternates between being her best friend and biggest cheerleader, and actually being her protective mom. 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 makes us unique.” This line speaks to both Khal and Kelsa’s experiences: Khal is reclaiming his brown heritage as he tries to adopt his birth name Khalid, while Kelsa is her chosen name that represents who she is and wants to be.

Sex and Skin: There is some skin, but no explicit sex.

Our Take: There is so much to love about this film. 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 is unafraid of embracing who she is but much of the film’s conflict is centered on the fallout of that choice — whether it’s the school administrators or people in her inner circle weaponizing her identity against her. It celebrates the spirit of truth and happiness 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 just because of his resistance to Kelsa’s identity but also because of his inability to change and see the error in his ways. Perhaps the best part of the film is that not everyone is awarded a redemption arc. The film is deeply rooted in reality; it highlights that, occasionally, the backwards and hateful views some people hold aren’t things that we can look past within a friendship. And it’s okay to let go of what isn’t serving you anymore. Anything’s Possible doesn’t shy away from seeing that darkness, but chooses to have its characters stand their ground about their morals.

Of course there are a few nitpicks. Kelsa and her friends’ dress in fabulous clothing, but their outfits would be grounds for detentions at the high school I went to. Occasionally Eva Reign’s line delivery feels a little forced, especially when sharing scenes with the powerhouse that is Goldsberry. And Khal’s college drama with his parents feels like an afterthought that gets tied in too nice of a bow. But those are minor quibbles in an urgent and beautiful story.

Our Call: 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 on Paste Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vulture and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.