Every time it seems like the teen rom-com drama has run out of steam, another one comes along and proves there are plenty of stories left to tell about young people exploring life and love.
This week's example of that genre's continued relevance is "Anything's Possible," a Prime Video film debuting Friday about a transgender high school senior experiencing her first real romance. In addition to being another entry in this particular canon, "Anything's Possible" also happens to be the feature directorial debut of Pittsburgh native Billy Porter that he shot throughout the Steel City last summer.
As a film, "Anything's Possible" contains a charm offensive from star Eva Reign and a thoughtful examination of what it means (and takes) to move through the world as a transgender youth in 2022. Porter told the Post-Gazette last year that his movie is also meant to be viewed as "a love letter to Pittsburgh," and you won't find many more lovingly rendered cinematic visions of a filmmaker's hometown than what Porter committed to screen for "Anything's Possible."
Kelsa (Reign) is an out and proud transgender woman who just wants to exist in her own body and live her best life during her final year of high school. That goal is immediately complicated when Kelsa develops a crush on Khal (Abubakr Ali), a self-effacing "nice guy" who at least seems to be infatuated with Kelsa for who she is and not what she represents.
Their budding romance sends a shock wave through the school and affects their relationships with Kelsa's bestie Em (Courtnee Carter) — who was also into Khal — and Khal's best friend Otis (Grant Reynolds), who turns out to be disappointingly close-minded. They ultimately have to decide whether the amount of scrutiny they're facing is worth continuing to pursue their feelings for each other.
"Anything's Possible" tackles tricky subject matter that could have come off as tone deaf in the wrong hands. Writer Ximena Garcia Lecuona did a solid job making sure the film rarely seemed preachy or exploitative of the transgender community. There are a few moments where the younger performers say things that were clearly written by an adult, but most of Lecuona's dialogue felt authentic enough emanating from the mouths of Generation Z high school students.
Porter acquits himself well in the director's chair by displaying a veteran's knowledge of when to add layers of emotion via precise framing and when to simply focus a camera on an actor's face and let them cook. There are a few visual flourishes he tries that don't necessarily add anything narratively but are undeniably nice to look at. His inner theater kid comes out in full force during one sequence that looks like everyone involved had a blast putting together.
Most of Porter's big cinematic swings are evident in the many shots of recognizable Pittsburgh locations he included as a means of both scene-setting and showing off his birthplace. A lot of the city's major landmarks are there, from Point State Park to Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens to a shot of a vehicle exiting the Fort Pitt Tunnel as Downtown unfolds in front of it. It's not an exaggeration to say that "Anything's Possible" might be the most Pittsburgh movie ever made.
It's worth noting that "Anything's Possible" goes to some dark places in terms of its depiction of the hurdles transgender students face. While a tad heavy-handed, there's an honesty to how Kelsa's hardships are portrayed that, while still jarring, doesn't feel ripped-from-the-headlines in what could have been a distracting way.
Though the film clearly has the best intentions with its portrayal of the transgender experience, its messaging is a bit muddled. Kelsa often mentions her desire to be treated like a normal teenager, but there's also the notion presented that she is, in fact, different and therefore special. Both are valid points and contribute to Kelsa's overall growth, but they're divergent enough ideas that a little more clarity might have been nice for the audience's sake.
That mild thematic incongruity has nothing to do with Reign's performance. She proves more than capable of leading a movie this ambitious by imbuing Kelsa with the requisite levels of spunk and insecurity to make her feel like a fully realized person. Kelsa is bursting with personality, only some of which she feels comfortable revealing to those closest to her. It's a star-making turn that will hopefully put Reign on the Hollywood map.
One of the film's smartest decisions was centering the story around Kelsa while giving almost equal time to Khal's perspective. Ali takes advantage of that by making Khal the kind of guy who's easy to fall for while also showing that he has a lot to learn about both love and accepting certain aspects of himself that he seems to have been wrestling with for a while. He and Reign have a crackling yet suitably awkward teen chemistry that are sure to make romantics swoon.
Carter does reasonably well with a role that requires her to sell some nasty actions spurred on by flimsy motivations, while Kelly Lamor Wilson is a lot of fun as Kelsa's flamboyant and loyal friend Chris. The best performance outside of the main duo, though, belongs to Renee Elise Goldsberry, who plays Kelsa's overprotective single mother and shares one scene with her daughter that features some of the best acting you'll ever see in a teen movie.
There's so much to enjoy about "Anything's Possible," from the sweet central romance to Porter's adeptness at making Pittsburgh pop to witnessing a story that seldom gets highlighted in popular culture. It might not quite prove that anything's possible, but it does show what is possible at the movies with a little flair and a light touch.
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'ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE'
3 stars (out of 4)
MPAA rating: (PG-13 for strong language, thematic material, sexual material and brief teen drinking)
Running time: 1:36
How to watch: On Prime Video Friday
