Will & Harper

Will Ferrell receives a letter from Harper Steele, a friend of thirty years, saying she has begun living as a woman. Ferrell is confused and does not know what to say. The two decide to drive across America from east to west. Harper used to make this trip alone, stopping in cheap bars, and does not know whether she can go to those places now. The subject is not transition but whether having a famous friend beside you is protection or a target. Ferrell's presence opens doors in some places; in others it makes Harper visible and the situation turns dangerous. The film discusses that doubleness openly and leaves Ferrell's own mistakes in. The form is road documentary. The camera is in the car, in bars and in motel rooms; there is little editorial intervention and conversations are left unbroken. In some passages the two argue and the film does not cut those out. Its most honest moment is the section in Texas. In a scene shot at a restaurant Ferrell performs a bit and afterwards realises it left Harper exposed; the conversation that follows sits at the centre of the film. Josh Greenbaum directs. It screened at Sundance and was released on Netflix. Who it is for: viewers who like road documentaries and narratives built on friendship. Who it is not for: anyone expecting a systematic argument about the subject; the film stays personal and does not generalise.