Will Ferrell traverses the United States with a thirty-year-old friend in what might look like a classic “road movie,” but the popular comedy actor's latest project is actually a moving documentary about gender transition, being presented at the 2024 Sundance becomes.
“Will & Harper,” directed by Josh Greenbaum and premiering Monday night, follows its two protagonists, Will Ferrell and “Saturday Night Live” writer Harper Steele on their journey to the heart of America, sparking a dialogue about Harper Steele's journey as transgender woman.
“We discussed that as a transgender woman she might feel different going to places she would have thoughtlessly gone as a man, and that's how the idea came about,” Mr Ferrell told AFP.
“I never went on any of his famous trips. So I pitched the idea: 'Let's break it down, let's talk about your transition, what it means for our friendship, it'll give me the opportunity to ask any questions I have,'” he continued.
The ensuing odyssey takes them through conservative bastions of the United States, with stops in seedy bars and a stock car race. Although the film is punctuated by comical moments, it also contains a lot of emotion and even some dangerous scenes.
“I guess I feel like I've let you down…we have Harper's safety to worry about,” Will Ferrell sobs after an attempt at humorous interaction with the residents of a Texas town.
However, the documentary focuses primarily on conversations between these 30-year-old friends, in which Will Ferrell interviews Harper Steele about the decades she spent feeling like she had to suppress her true identity, as well as the practical aspects of her gender transition.
The film, which like most of the films presented at the Utah Independent Festival does not yet have a distributor, received a long standing ovation at its world premiere on Monday.
Harper Steele hopes that Mr. Ferrell's presence in the documentary will help change attitudes at a time when the rights of LGBTQ people are being questioned across much of the United States. During filming, “many bills were passed across the country. It's pretty terrible. “The situation is getting worse,” she said.
“I had a friend who had made very popular films, and that was crucial. I told myself I could abuse this relationship,” she joked.
The Sundance Film Festival, founded in 1981, runs through Sunday.