I Wish You All the Best is a quietly radical film written and directed by Tommy Dorfman, adapted from Mason Deaver’s bestselling young adult novel of the same name.
In this refreshingly modern coming-of-age story based on the best-selling book by Mason Deaver, a high school junior (Corey Fogelmanis) comes out as nonbinary and is thrown out of their family’s home. With nowhere else to turn, they move in with their estranged older sister (Alexandra Daddario) and her husband (Cole Sprouse). After enrolling in a new school, they find support from an eccentric art teacher (Lena Dunham) and form an unexpected bond with a kindhearted student (Miles Gutierrez-Riley). With the help of their new relationships, they navigate the awkward hurdles of young adulthood in this sweetly funny journey of self-discovery that celebrates the power of being true to yourself.
Director’s Statement
Before transitioning in 2020, I spent 27 years in a state of gender limbo. Despite how others saw me, I always felt at odds with myself, and each step of my gender and sexuality evolution required a new coming out, filled with anxiety and emotional exhaustion. Thankfully, I had a support system to help me through it all: when I was five, in Atlanta, where I grew up, my best friend Lauren tirelessly defended my choice to dress up like Baby Spice to bullies on the playground. At 14, my friends Sadie and Kalli were there for me when I came out as gay and got my heart broken by a boy for the first time. At 21, my boyfriend, Peter, told me he loved that he was the first person I told I was nonbinary. At 27, my therapist, Steven, helped me navigate the tricky terrain of advocating for my use of she/her pronouns with family after beginning my medical, and subsequently very public, transition.
By the time I made I Wish You All the Best, I was 30 and proudly a trans woman, perhaps my final form in this lifetime. I had never been more comfortable in my skin, more confident in my body, and finally, I could breathe a sigh of relief. Back then, in 2023, I couldn’t foresee the complete and utter devastation and violence trans and queer people are facing today en masse, on a public stage. But, here we are, in the fall of 2025, and my film opens theatrically at the most terrifying tipping point for trans rights, not to mention a vehement resurgence of media censorship, in Trump’s America.
I Wish You All the Best was never intended to be a political film, beyond the fact that I, a trans woman, wrote, directed, and produced a commercial coming-of-age drama explicitly about a nonbinary teenager coming of age, which inherently is political or at least politicized. My approach was grounded in celebrating queerness, not highlighting all the constraints queer people face. This still feels viable, even if the landscape has shifted.
When I first read Mason’s book, I knew that I had the unique ability to adapt and bring this story to life on screen, being trans and from the South, so much of the world Mason created felt familiar. The book also stood out as the first of its kind with a nonbinary protagonist, Benjamin DeBacker[CG3] , as its heroine—a book I desperately needed as a kid and the movie I had to make no matter what, a movie that didn’t exist yet in the canon and needed to.
My goal in expanding on Mason Deaver’s novel into a cinematic universe was to examine how acts of love, compassion, and service towards family—chosen and blood—could either endanger a child or embolden them to flourish, to offer audiences a contained and simple character study on becoming.
It was important for me to tell this story authentically and not fall into the trap of dramatizing Ben’s gender or coming out too much. Viewing anybody solely through the lens of their gender or sexuality diminishes their vast and complex humanity. Although Ben’s coming-out experience is crucial and worth exploring, we’re offered three different generational responses to it in this film after all, and it is the obvious jumping-off point. What happens for them in the aftermath inspired me more.
I explored onward into more universal experiences: the discomfort of being seventeen, falling in love with a classmate, forming friendships, finding a voice through painting and self-expression, learning to love and be loved, navigating anxiety and depression, and coping with the pressures of growing up, Ben thrives beyond the limits of gender identity and representation.
It may be a portrait of a typical teenager in America, but we cannot overlook the harsh realities confronting queer youth in our world today and it would be a disservice to the community to disregard the limited and violent beliefs of the protagonist’s parents that led to the utter destruction of Ben’s life as they knew it before coming out.
With a focus on humanizing these characters, I made a conscious effort to anchor the positive and negative choices in love, offering audiences a chance to anchor themselves in both realities. Even when the characters are at their worst, it’s crucial to showcase their best traits, and graciously wish them well. Maybe it’s a southern tradition to passive-aggressively pray for someone you resent, but universally, this film serves as a tool for building empathy in our daily lives. Supporting this film and seeing it, sharing it with family and friends who are transphobic, is an act of love to the LGBTQ+ community right now and an act of resistance against the milieu of anti-trans legislation moving through our political systems today. So, while I wish the world was more evolved by now, I am grateful to offer Ben’s story to audiences who need it more than they might’ve just a few seasons ago.
Tommy Dorfman is an accomplished actress, writer, director, and producer whose work spans film, television, and theater. Best known for her breakout role in the hit Netflix series “13 Reasons Why,” Dorfman has since gone on to build a dynamic career, while consistently shining a light on her experiences as a trans woman in Hollywood.
Dorfman recently launched her company Good Girl Productions, which produces new works across film, television, and theater while inspiring, investing in, and incubating stories that challenge, shift, and deepen the understanding of the human experience.
In May 2025, Dorfman released her debut memoir, MAYBE THIS WILL SAVE ME, with Hanover Square Press, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Structured through the cards of a tarot pull and touching on themes of self-discovery and resilience, Dorfman expertly traverses her journey through art, addiction, and ultimately, transformation. The book received critical praise and became an instant National Bestseller.
Last fall, Dorfman made her Broadway debut in Sam Gold’s adaptation of Romeo + Juliet, starring alongside Kit Conner and Rachel Zegler. The production marked Dorfman’s return to the New York stage and her first acting role since publicly coming out as transgender. In this fresh take on the classic, Dorfman took on dual roles as the Nurse and Tybalt.
Quickly following, Dorfman starred in Becoming Eve, a New York Theatre Workshop production based on Abby Chava Stein’s memoir. The production opened April 7 to critical acclaim, with The New York Times praising it as “a welcome tonic, served in a Kiddush cup.” For her turn as the titular character, Chava, Dorfman earned her first nomination for a Drama League Award in the category of “Distinguished Performance.” The show received two additional nominations in the categories of “Outstanding Production of a Play” and “Outstanding Direction of a Play.”
Mason Deaver is a bestselling and award-nominated author born and raised in a small town in North Carolina, now based in Charlotte. Identifying as non-binary and using they/them pronouns, Deaver is best known for their debut novel I Wish You All the Best, which became a landmark in young adult literature for its tender portrayal of a non-binary protagonist. The book was named a Junior Library Guild Selection and an NPR Concierge Book, and later adapted into a film directed by Tommy Dorfman. Deaver’s writing is rooted in emotional honesty and a desire to fill the gaps in queer representation they experienced growing up. Outside of writing, they are an avid fan of horror films and video games, and continue to shape the literary landscape with works that center queer identity, vulnerability, and resilience.
