Will and Harper is a documentary-style film directed by Josh Greenbaum that was released on September 27, 2024. The film covers their 16-day road trip around the US, including New York, Oklahoma, Texas, and more. The documentary centers around Will and Harper’s friendship and Harper’s new navigation around the US after coming out as Transgender. I would say the film was absolutely devastatingly heartwarming and beautiful.
For context, Will Ferrell found out that his close friend came out as a transgender woman named Harper Steele. Steele broke the news by emailing all of her close friends stating “… I’ll be transitioning to be a woman.” After receiving this email, Ferrell was stunned and had many questions to ask. Ferrell then came up with the idea to document a road trip where Steele and Ferrell would travel around the US and see how Steele is adapting to being a woman and how certain states around the US are reacting. As the pair make their way, they face uncomfortable and heartbreaking moments as they make pit stops, but they overcome by moving forward and not getting discouraged.
In one instance, they stop at a local bar in Oklahoma, which seems very conservative. As Steele walks in alone for the first few minutes, she is overwhelmed and nervous until she interacts with a few welcoming and nonviolent people. Ferrell comes in shortly after, where he gets recognized and welcomed by many locals in just a few moments. A group of individuals even approach Steele and Ferrell and serenades them with their native american song. Afterward, Steele gets emotional and confides in Ferrell, stating that she feels more secure and confident. I believe that this moment is the most raw and shows a glimpse of humanity in this world. Although there were some amazing and heartwarming moments like this one, they also showed some tough and uncomfortable moments throughout the film.
For example, Steele experiences some misgendering, online hate, and uncomfortable looks throughout the trip where she addresses her feelings by stating “When it comes to friends, I sort of feel out the situation, If people are misgendering me and it’s annoying me, then I correct them. If it’s friends, I funnily correct them. But I don’t like my friends to feel on edge around me talking about my transition or talking about who I am now. I don’t want them to feel that. So I’m not interested in nailing everyone around me.” A certain uncomfortable moment was shown later throughout the film when the pair stopped at a known steakhouse at Armarillo, The Big Texan Steak Ranch, where the pair ate and interacted with the crowd, where the energy in the room shifted from lighthearted and friendly to uncomfortable and unsafe. Their gut feeling was confirmed when they later received transphobic and hateful comments on social media posts regarding their visit to the restaurant. Ferrell shared that he felt “guilt” and “the burden, of like why did we even go here? There was no need to.” Soon after, they leave Texas and move on, going to dinners and karaoke bars and visiting Steele’s abandoned property where she used to hide out and imagine another life pre-transition where she could live as a woman and be at peace with herself. Visiting this property brings up Steele’s repressed feelings of hopelessness and self-hate. Ferrell comforts Steele by letting her feel safe and loved by everyone in her life. After this experience, Steele expresses she is ready to “move on” and leave this chapter of her life behind. 
The pair move on while spending the last few days hanging out and bonding as they navigate their new friendship. Ferrell continues to poke fun at Steele by complaining about Dunkin Donuts and cracking jokes like “Do you feel as though you drive worse now that you are a woman?” by being able to joke like this to each other, it shows that although now their friendship may look different, they are still very close friends who care about one another no matter what. Although not everyone may agree with this show’s premise, I encourage those to watch this documentary with an open mind and heart and see that at the end of the day, everyone is a human being and we should treat each other with respect and humility.
