Sixty Minutes (2024)

Sixty Minutes Review

Summary

The movie is based on a novel by Mason Deaver. It follows Ben DeBacker, who identifies as non-binary and gets thrown out of their family’s house. Since then they’ve been forced to live with their sister Hannah that they haven’t talked to in years, and her husband Thomas, and go to a new school where no one knows them as anything other than an anxious kid that excels in art class. All Ben wants is to survive the school year and get out of town, but Nathan, a funny kid that sits next to them in English class, has other plans.

Review

When it comes down to it, I Wish You All the Best is a very authentic take on the LGBTQ+ experience. The feelings expressed in the film are real feelings felt by real people every day – when you strip back all of the confusion and frustration surrounding gender identity you’re left with fear. Fear that if you come out those around you won’t accept you for who you truly are; fear that if you don’t come out your friends won’t understand why some days just talking seems impossible; fear that even when you do come out everyone will look at you differently (which they will) but not different enough because they still can’t see past boy or girl.

This review was originally published on The Young Folks

As we watch our protagonist struggle through these fears we also see other important themes emerge such as self-acceptance and love. One thing I particularly appreciated about this story was how it showed that sometimes people have trouble accepting themselves before anyone else can truly accept them too which is why many relationships fail or end badly once someone realizes they deserve better things start falling apart quickly afterwards.

Now let’s talk about casting: Corey Fogelmanis does an excellent job portraying Ben DeBacker because he brings so much vulnerability into his performance which makes everything feel more raw & dangerous at times especially during scenes where Ben confronts their parents or has panic attacks while being alone with Nathan (who by the way steals every scene he’s in) because these moments show just how desperate Ben is to hold onto something stable even if it means destroying everything around him along the way.

Every actor involved delivered solid performances but there were some pacing issues which prevented certain character dynamics from fully expanding. It felt like watching a network drama everything happening too quickly without allowing enough time for emotions to build up before releasing them which resulted in moments feeling rushed or forced between different characters like when Hannah tries bonding with Ben over shopping trips or Cole Sprouse’s character trying to get close with his step-brother after finding out they share similar interests etc..

Despite these flaws I still think IWYATB deserves recognition as one of 2021’s better films because its message can be understood & appreciated by anyone regardless if they identify within the LGBTQ+ community. Not only does it address important topics related to gender identity but mental health as well since anxiety plays such a prominent role throughout Ben’s journey

Overall though this movie succeeds mainly due to Tommy Dorfman’s strong writing abilities combined with their unique perspective on what it means growing up non-binary. They weren’t afraid showing ugly truths either because sometimes life gets messy ugly sad beautiful all at once and we need art that reflects those experiences accurately so people don’t feel alone anymore

Ben’s experience with school and a bizarre art teacher (played by Lena Dunham, who steals scenes right and left) and their crush Nathan (Miles Gutierrez-Riley), is the shift in tone and direction the film needs. At their old high school, Ben tried to be invisible, but that’s harder to do in this town where people actually care about the teenager. An extroverted bisexual who matches his nail color to his outfits, Nathan folds Ben into his friend group immediately I would’ve liked a little more examination of why he was drawn to them but Fogelmanis and Gutierrez-Riley have such sweet chemistry that it never feels forced. As Nathan becomes closer with Ben, Dorfman takes their intimacy seriously, staging scenes that recognize the depth and reality of these characters’ desires.

When he’s not daydreaming about Nathan, Ben spends most of his time with Ms. Lyons. And honestly? This role seems like it was made for Dunham she gets all the anxiety spiral-as-confessional-humor monologues which she kills every time but also plays her character as someone with genuine heart: an administrator who sees that Ben is stuck between genders without ever condescending to them.

I Wish You All The Best has a lot of Ms. Lyons in it. The movie wears its sincerity on its sleeve and even though it stumbles sometimes over its own good intentions, it knows what it’s here for. In terms of style, Dorfman doesn’t really deviate from smaller-screen mechanics outside of tracking shots through Ben’s emotional life; most notably costume design (by David Tabbert) helps capture this texture by taking cues from the teen’s changing wardrobe while wider shots reflect how comfortable they are becoming with their surroundings at one point going from being crouched in a corner of a mini-mart to standing tall as if running into freedom’s embrace.

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