SXSW 2024: Writer-Director Tommy Dorfman and Star Corey Fogelmanis Discuss Their Poignant Film, I Wish You All the Best

Writer-director Tommy Dorfman and star Corey Fogelmanis have crafted a cinematic masterpiece poised to steal the spotlight at SXSW—their emotionally resonant film, I Wish You All the Best.

Based on Mason Deaver’s novel, the film follows Ben DeBacker, a non-binary teen who is thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas. Struggling with anxiety, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their art teacher, Ms. Lyons, while trying to keep a low profile at their new school. Ben’s attempts to survive junior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing. With the help of Nathan, and his friends Sophie and Mel, Ben discovers themselves and what started as a disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to start a happier new life.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with writer-director Tommy Dorfman and star Corey Fogelmanis about I Wish You All the Best, how Tommy fostered a safe environment on set for her cast to thrive and bring their best, the impactful experience Corey had leading this film, the brilliant use of humor and levity, the idea of chosen family and more.

PC: Tommy, as a storyteller, you have always loved the ways in which art can be expressed in different mediums. As you brought this adaptation to the screen, what’s one thing that you wanted to make sure was translated from page to screen? What is something new that you brought to it to make it more cinematic?
Tommy: The essence of Ben felt very important to me as well as the texture of the South and our location. Being a queer person from the South, I wanted to have it as authentic as possible. The intimacy of the book can sometimes be difficult to translate onto film, and that felt very important to me. Also, the dynamics between Ben, Hannah, Thomas, and Nathan.

I definitely made several changes from the book because Mason [Deaver] gave me the freedom to do so. I was updating a story that Mason started writing in 2016/2017 for the 2024 audience. Things change, and the generation is different.

I wanted to explore Ben and Nathan’s relationship more authentically, so that was something that I really prioritized in this adaptation. I didn’t want the secret of coming out to be the biggest dramatic force. In the book, there’s a lot of secrecy surrounding identity and then the drama that follows.

Corey: Until the very end…

Tommy: Right. I felt like I had an opportunity to focus the story more on building the relationships and fostering love and community.

The book had many different characters who were all beautiful and powerful, and I wanted a smaller scope for the feature. So, I condensed some of the characters. In any film, you want to ensure that every character serves a clear purpose. I found in the book that having an art teacher, a therapist, and a virtual friend didn’t make as much sense in the film. It’s like a Greek chorus that takes up time and space when the story needs to be about Ben and their growth. So, I made it one art teacher who could provide a safe space amidst the chaos. This focuses the energy and makes those conversations more meaningful. It also takes us out of doing too much exposition as well.

PC: Corey, you’ve said that playing Ben has been such a transformative process for you creatively. What have you learned about your own craft and yourself through the embodiment of this character?
Corey: I learned what it feels like in my body when I’m being honest. I’ve been talking about how there was such a sense of ease with this process and project. That doesn’t mean that it was necessarily easy, but there was something that aligned with Tommy’s words, my life experiences, this part, who I am, and who I want to be.

I don’t want to do anything that’s not going to align in this way. It was really, really special. It was so nice to be there all day, every day, and be a part of the set because it’s a different experience when you’re working on Monday and then Friday, and everything that happens in the middle of the week, you’re not there for. Every time you come back on set, you have to almost re-establish yourself. It was really nice to have all these relationships with all these different people and their characters, and get to show a bunch of different sides to one person.

PC: Tommy, what you’ve done so brilliantly with this screenplay is the use of all of these different beats and the ways in which you were able to interject those moments of levity and humor, which we haven’t often seen depicted in these coming-of-age stories. It really lends itself to those final moments as Ben is sitting down and writing that letter to their parents, and acknowledging that this weight isn’t theirs to carry. It’s a scene that will resonate with so many. Was that contrast something that you were mindful as you were penning this script? Why was that so important to you?
Tommy: I think there’s humor in trauma, there has to be. It’s a survival mechanism. Sometimes things are so tragic that all you can do is laugh, and sometimes that laughter turns into tears or sometimes the crying turns into laughter. That’s very much part of the human experience. It’s how I’ve survived parts of my life that maybe weren’t as easy. So I wanted to reflect that moment to moment.

Having a story about reclaiming yourself and your autonomy, and carving out independence for the first time, growing up in a more conservative and constrained environment felt really important to me. The film gives people an opportunity to see somebody let go of things that don’t serve them. That’s a very human lesson that we all learn. Ben is just learning it now. Luckily, they have the support of so many people who love them, and they can do that.

PC: It was so refreshing to see, especially because so many queer coming-of-age stories focus on the trauma.
Tommy: Or the bully and the coming out. I was thinking, what if we did a queer film where nobody actually has a problem with someone being nonbinary? You have the parents who obviously take issue with it, but then you have millennials who deal with it differently through Hannah and Thomas, and then you have the younger generation, Gen Z, dealing with it in their way. You have three generational examples of how people treat others.

PC: That final scene is so impactful. Corey, you brought so much nuance to Ben’s journey throughout the film. As an actor, how did you create that space for yourself to dive into those emotions? How helpful was it having Tommy who has experience in front of the camera and also wrote-directed this?
Corey: Tommy created that space for me. I couldn’t have done this without her. I came in as prepared as possible, but ultimately, I just tried to take each scene one at a time because if you’re sitting at the top of the day thinking about that super emotional scene that you’re filming at the end of the day, you’re not present. You’re not living moment to moment. So I tried to take it one breath at a time.

PC: Tommy as you were saying earlier, chosen family is such a central theme of this film and for the queer community. Who have been up for both of you in a similar way?
Tommy: I have a great relationship with my bio family, which I feel grateful for, but they can’t serve everything in my life and definitely don’t understand all facets of. My partner is someone I’m incredibly grateful for right now. She really helps me navigate this space of being an adult now in my thirties.

I have a great team in this industry, which is not always a guarantee being an actor or writer. I feel really fortunate that I have the team that I have who really value me as a human being and supports and believes in me as an artist because you’re going to be surrounded by people who don’t believe in you all the time. It’s about figuring out who your cheerleaders are and developing those relationships.

Corey: I feel very lucky. My mom has always been there for me. She’s sacrificed so much in pursuit of my dreams. We spent many hours in L.A. traffic driving to auditions and work. So I feel like definitely my mom.

Since moving away from my family, I’ve realized that it takes me a second to open up to people. When you move away from your childhood, you’re forced to make friends for the first time as an adult. I learned that it’s not necessarily easy for me to jump right into something and feel instantly safe. So there has been a couple of really great people who have made space for me, in a similar way to how Nathan does for Ben where Nathan’s like, “You’re a miserable little mess and I love you anyway.” [laughs] I’ve heard that in different words from people in my life and I’m really grateful for that.

PC: Tommy, I know you directed in school, but this is your feature film directorial debut. What was the most surprising part of this overall experience for you? What have you learned about your own craft that you’ll bring to future projects?
Tommy: The most surprising part was how comfortable I was. I’ve never been that comfortable on set before because and I always felt like I was in the way or hiding behind something, and in many ways, I was. But it was so exhilarating to support other people doing what they love to do, which is primarily the job of a director. It’s about finding the best people for the job and believing in them to do their job, and being their cheerleader. That’s how I approached it; like Corey is the best actor to play Ben.

It was my job to make this the safest environment where you could thrive in and do your best work. The same goes for my DPs, my assistant directors, and anyone below the line. It was essential for me to foster that space. I felt like I was spell casting every day because everyone comes in with different morning, moods, and agendas and sets can be quite combative and divisive. I really strived to make it a safe space for everybody to feel seen in heard in the same way that Ben needs to be seen and heard. That was so gratifying for me. That might be because I have been an actor who has been on sets that have been less cozy, I wanted this set to be as cozy as possible. I’m so glad we were able to accomplish that.

I love directing so much. I love watching people do their jobs well like Alexandra Daddario. I was like, “I want to jump in here and be in these scenes with you all.” I get to be on the side lines.

The most challenging part was the editing. It was the thing that I was least qualified for. That was the biggest lesson for me. I studied theater in school and not film, so I didn’t have a technical background. You can shadow a million directors on set. But it’s in the edit where you realize you’re making another movie again. I was listening to Frances McDormand talk about how film is an editor’s medium, and it is. Some filmmakers edit their own films. I don’t have that skill set, so I had to trust in the process of working with editors.

What I’ll bring to my next film and how I approach production and planning for everything is looking at it through an editor’s lens. I feel grateful that I didn’t miss anything. We didn’t lose any of our scenes. We made our days. We had a wealth of footage which sometimes can be a hinderance because you’re like I can make sixteen different movies, more that frankly. That’s something that I’m excited to fine tune more as I go to my next projects.

Make sure to follow Tommy (Instagram) and Corey (Instagram).

I Wish You All the Best Screening Times at SXSW:

• Alamo Lamar 4 – Mar 12, 2024 (3:15pm—4:47pm)
• Stateside Theatre – Mar 14, 2024 (2:30pm—4:02pm)

Photo Credit: Hedi Slimane (Corey)