Film Review: "Really Happy Someday" and Special Interview with J Stevens and Breton Lalama
The new film from J Stevens features a star-making performance from Breton Lalama and highlights the enduring power and importance of stories focusing on trans joy and transformation.
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Warning: Full spoilers for the film follow.
Every so often I encounter a movie completely by happenstance that nevertheless manages to break your heart and build it anew. Really Happy Someday, the new film from J Stevens, is definitely one of those. I just happened to hear about it in an email and, after reaching out, I managed to both notch a screener and also an interview with Stevens and Breton Lalama, who not only stars but also co-wrote the script. A video of said interview follows this review.
Really Happy Someday begins with an audition. Z (Lalama), a trans man who has just begun testosterone treatment, goes to audition for a musical, only to find that his voice has begun to change and break due to his taking T. This sets the plot in motion, and he spends the rest of the film grappling with the changes to his body and to his life brought about by his transition. At first it seems as if he will have to choose between being his authentically embodied self or his career as a singer but, thanks to the timely intervention of a vocal coach (Ali Garrison) and a burgeoning bond with fellow trans man Santi (Xavier Lopez) he manages to find the best of both worlds.
There’s an elegant simplicity to the storytelling in Really Happy Someday that is really quite refreshing and that is key to its remarkable power. It’s a film that knows the story that it wants to tell, and it doesn’t waste time cutting right to the chase. It is, at heart, a story of self-discovery and self-acceptance, of learning how to be in a body that is both new and yet also the physical form that you knew you should have been from the beginning. Stevens brings a raw and unflashy intimacy to the shots, immersing us in Z’s world and everyday life in a way that allows us to truly know him in all of his complexity, spending time with him as he grapples with the the realities of transitioning–including a notable scene in which he injects himself with a dose of T–and as he just goes about his daily life trying to make a living and maintain his relationships with friends and lovers alike.
The power of the film also stems from its willingness to meaningfully and thoughtfully engage with an oft-overlooked part of transition: the changing voice. This issue is particularly acute for Z, who has based so much of their sense of self-identity–and their professional life–on being a musical theater actor. To find that their new, and authentic, embodied self is at odds with this dream understandably causes a great deal of confusion and alienation, particularly since their time in musical theater gave them a sense of belonging and power he’d never had before. Our pop culture consciousness has trained us to be very aware of the external markers of gender identity, but one that has gone less remarked-upon is the importance of one’s voice as a signifier of one’s gender identity and position in the world. Really Happy Someday tackles this issue head-on, and it tactfully and touchingly reveals the extent to which becoming the truest and most physically authentical version of oneself is not without its sacrifices, even as it also opens up grand new opportunities.
Lalama is nothing short of brilliant in this role and, as with the film as a whole, he manages to be both moving and unpretentious in his acting choices. The fact that the film is inspired in part by their own transitioning gives the story an even greater level of emotional authenticity and poignancy to both the story and his performance. I think it’s safe to say that Lalama has that elusive quality known as star power (or charisma, if you prefer), which is to say that the camera loves him. More importantly, his charm is such that you actually enjoy getting to spend time with his character, to feel with and for him as he navigates the fraught waters of his new/old identity and his new/old body.
As much as Really Happy Someday is about Z’s journey to find their voice, it’s also about the importance of trans intimacy and trans self-recognition. When the film begins he is in a happy relationship with a cisgender woman. It’s clear that they love one another, but it’s also clear that not all is quite right with them and that they’ve both evolved and become different people. They eventually end up parting ways, though fortunately the film makes it clear that neither is truly at fault, adding yet another layer of subtle emotional authenticity.
It’s for this reason that Z’s relationship with Santi is so important to his development as a character. Since Santi is able to pass, at first Z doesn’t even recognize that he is even trans, and it’s not until the former surmises that Z left musical theater because of the changes brought on by T that he does so. It’s thus clear from the outset that Santi is going to be key to Z’s journey to self-acceptance and actualization. The two actors have phenomenal chemistry with one another, and I found myself wanting them to get together from the moment they meet, for all that Z is still in a relationship. Fortunately for me, and for viewers at large, the two end up sharing a very passionate sexual encounter, which itself is a pivotal moment for Z, since it seems to mark the first time that he’s had sex with someone who is as interested in his pleasure as they are in their own.
The most powerful and poignant moment comes near the end when Z, having finally mastered their newfound voice, sings the powerful number “Favorite Places” from the musical Ordinary Days. It’s one of those poignant, heart-piercing songs that’s a staple in any theater production, and Z gives it their all. In this key instant, all of their work, all of their attempts to truly inhabit their body–often at the instigation of their vocal coach, Shelly, played by the sublimely warm Ali Garrison–are shown to have been worth it. The film ends, suitably enough, with their attending another audition and, while we’re not shown the outcome, it’s clear that Z has finally come into his own, both inside and out.
Given the vitriolic attacks on trans people here in the United States, Really Happy Someday is a reminder that trans joy is worth pursuing and celebrating. Stevens and Lalama have given us a remarkable piece of trans storytelling that deserves every bit of the praise that it has received. Go out and see it if you can. You won’t regret it.
On a personal note, I very much loved interviewing Stevens and Lalama. They were both the spirit of warmth and generosity. A video of the interview is included below. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did conducting it!