Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
In this case, the standing ovation was immediate and explosive.
I was always Harper Steele, she says.
Will was always friends with Harper Steele.
And the old shit-kicker hasnt entirely gone away.
Instead of an asshole, Ill be a bitch, she quips.
She still loves country roads and dive bars and highway diners.
I just dont know if it loves me back now, she admits.
I dont know if I can go to those same places as Harper.
These kinds of serious insights are often accompanied by funnier observations.
Things have changed, she notes, as the camera cuts to an entire suitcase full of womens shoes.
I go twice a month.
Their oldSNLchums show up at a few points.
They make a point of giving Lorne Michaels an uncomfortably long hug.
They then spend the rest of the movie trying to get her back on the phone.
Their itinerary is designed to let Steele re-experience a world she used to know so well.
Lo and behold, the crowded bar quickly embraces Harper Steele.
The jokes on me, Steele says afterward.
Im not afraid of these people.
Im afraid of being myself.
The conversations the two have on their trip are admirably frank.
These exchanges never feel staged, or obligatory.
The incident also leads to news reports and torrents of grossly cruel transphobic tweets hurled in their direction.
Later, they look up Holcomb online and discover that the governor has signed a law banning gender-affirming care.
Its just one rebuke in a litany of ongoing cases around the country.
Will & Harperis in many senses a very conventional picture.
The soundtrack accompanying them on their trip is pretty on-the-nose.
But the duos journey does have a recognizable narrative shape, leading toward a not-entirely unexpected emotional climax.
The films familiarity may well be part of its design.
Judging by the rapturous Sundance response, it has a decent shot.
