I really enjoyed this film and am bowled over by Mx. Ehlen's talent in all respects. Touching, but not maudlin, often very funny with beautiful cinematography and well-drawn characters. The cast is wonderful, and the casting of young Jay is like, whoa.
7 Reviews
Maybe Someday
BandSAboutMovies1 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Jay (Michelle Ehlen, who also directed and wrote this movie) is a non-binary photographer making the movie across the country after divorcing her wife Lily (Jeneen Robinson). That journey takes her to the home of Jess (Shaela Cook), a woman who she used to be secretly obsessed with, and introduces her to Tommy (Chad Steers), a stand-up comedian who no longer believes in love.
Shot in 17 days over the course of almost two years - with the last four days of shooting delayed due to the pandemic - Maybe Someday comes from a very personal place, as its creator also made a cross-country post-divorce trip.
Unlike other breakup movies, the character that Ehlen makes and the creative decisions that she makes as a filmmaker are about discovering how you can grow from a breakup and become someone better instead of feeling the loss. That's brave if you're a person and most assuredly if you're a filmmaker.
Shot in 17 days over the course of almost two years - with the last four days of shooting delayed due to the pandemic - Maybe Someday comes from a very personal place, as its creator also made a cross-country post-divorce trip.
Unlike other breakup movies, the character that Ehlen makes and the creative decisions that she makes as a filmmaker are about discovering how you can grow from a breakup and become someone better instead of feeling the loss. That's brave if you're a person and most assuredly if you're a filmmaker.
Emotional, nuanced ride through love, heartbreak and coming out whole
cynthialubow5 April 2022
Michelle Ehlen is one of the most talented filmmakers I know. She is able to act, direct, edit, write, and produce all at the same time and brilliantly. Her current film, "Maybe Someday" is a beautiful, emotional, nuanced portrayal of love and heartbreak and the experience of being queer in a straight-dominant culture. She doesn't just portray love and heartbreak, she actually leads the audience into falling in love and getting our hearts broken as we watch the film. Yet it is ultimately affirming and unflinchingly founded on the assumption that we are all lovable, without any of the self-hate that underlies most queer stories. This makes it uniquely brilliant and radical.
Personally, I felt as if Michelle had been there when I was a young queer person having crushes on straight people and not knowing how to handle their flirtations with me that confused, thrilled and crushed me. The film helped me understand how differently the people on either side of this dynamic experience what is for the queer person a thrilling, heartbreaking and formative experience and for the straight person a delightful, confusing and forgettable adventure.
There is much more to this film than even all this. The music and soundtrack provides exactly what we need at each turn of the film. The relationship dynamics are fascinating and complex and the cinematography is gorgeous. Michelle, who plays the staring role portrays depression, anger, mirth, playfulness, sadness humiliation, longing and pretending to be ok with facility and accuracy.
Even the ending is complex and fresh. Michelle Ehlen somehow manages to avoid the choice of either a simplistic happy ending or a frustratingly ambiguous ending, and instead gives us a satisfying sense that the protagonist is headed for the ultimate human goal-a solid belief that one is lovable.
Personally, I felt as if Michelle had been there when I was a young queer person having crushes on straight people and not knowing how to handle their flirtations with me that confused, thrilled and crushed me. The film helped me understand how differently the people on either side of this dynamic experience what is for the queer person a thrilling, heartbreaking and formative experience and for the straight person a delightful, confusing and forgettable adventure.
There is much more to this film than even all this. The music and soundtrack provides exactly what we need at each turn of the film. The relationship dynamics are fascinating and complex and the cinematography is gorgeous. Michelle, who plays the staring role portrays depression, anger, mirth, playfulness, sadness humiliation, longing and pretending to be ok with facility and accuracy.
Even the ending is complex and fresh. Michelle Ehlen somehow manages to avoid the choice of either a simplistic happy ending or a frustratingly ambiguous ending, and instead gives us a satisfying sense that the protagonist is headed for the ultimate human goal-a solid belief that one is lovable.
Modern Midlife Metamorphosis - Realistic Representation
joecalvert4 April 2022
A bittersweet story of loss and love, and of friendships new and old. Be prepared to experience a rollercoaster of emotion. Tears will flow both of laughter and sorrow.
Similar to Michelle's earlier films, but has a special sincerity and depth that hasn't been fully explored previously. Highly recommend!
Similar to Michelle's earlier films, but has a special sincerity and depth that hasn't been fully explored previously. Highly recommend!
Beautiful Film that Brings People Together
emilyjrailsback2 May 2023
Despite being marketed as a drama, Michelle Ehlen is a master of situational comedy, which helped to lighten the mood throughout Jay's heart ache of a broken marriage. I saw "Maybe Someday" in London at the British Film Institute's BFI Flare Film Festival. I was blown away by the humor and sadness, so delicately blended together. I cried, I laughed, and at the end I felt like I was let into Jay's experience as a non-binary person in love with someone who toys with their heart, and finds their own personhood through the journey. Michelle Ehlen triumphs in this performance and her directing and editing is superb! This is a film that connects with the human heart and should be watched by a wide audience. As a straight person and ally to the LGBTQ community, I felt like this is a film to recommend to conservative friends or family members who do not understand a non-binary or queer perspective. It's beautiful, nuanced, and the heartache is universal. Also, the breastmilk lotion scene was hilarious!!!
Treasure of humanity
blandinelaignel3 December 2022
Amazing movie, touching me so deeply. I laughed, I cried, I remembered parts of my soul, parts of mylife, parts of my emptiness and my desire of freedom. Michelle Ehlen is a huge actress, her soul illuminate all the film. Her face, her body, her skin are so "alived" full of experience, emotions, feelings, strength, vulnerability, love, it's just impossible to stay out of this movie. Everything in this film is necessary, the script is pure and lets the humanity of each character take its place. One week after watching the movie it's still in my mind everyday. Like a wonderful treasure of tenderness.
Groundbreaking nonbinary representation
riotqueerrr2 May 2023
What a refreshing film! It's the type of queer movie I've been looking for - something I could really relate to and actually see myself in. I can't think of another movie about a nonbinary character in their 40s going through the major relationship experiences so many of us remember from our own lives. This movie isn't *about* being nonbinary, but that's what I love about it - we finally have nonbinary representation that is about more than just coming out or gender dysphoria and identity issues. Jay seems totally comfortable in her own skin, so it's refreshing to see her gender identity as a non-issue in the film. That's exactly the type of representation that older nonbinary butch folx like myself crave to see: characters that reflect our own life experiences beyond gender or queerness, but still look like us. Overall this movie had authenticity, vulnerability, and a range of emotions that left me laughing one minute and crying the next. Ultimately it's a film that anyone who's experienced heartbreak can relate to, but it made me extra emotional because I was finally seeing myself on screen for the first time.
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