When Will Ferrell finds out his close friend of 30 years is coming out as a trans woman, the two decide to embark on a cross-country road trip to process this new stage of their relationship in an intimate portrait of friendship, transition, and America. Will Ferrell and Harper Steele are humorously and lovingly vulnerable in director Josh Greenbaum’s latest documentary, Will & Harper. Through the frame of a decadeslong friendship (and the windshield of Harper’s Jeep), the pair reconnect in emotional and unexpected ways as they journey across middle America.

Layers of friendship are laid bare as Harper reenters once-safe spaces as her authentic self, reintroducing the eccentric yet earnest Will to the woman he’s always known. Their levity is reinforced and challenged: Harper embraces her newfound identity amid adversity, as Will is invited to stand by her, negotiating his celebrity in the process. What emerges is an exploration of both silliness and strife, a sincere facet of the trans experience audiences rarely witness, and an affirmation of the unbreakable bonds of friendship.—CA