Director Michelle Ehlen’s Maybe Someday will find a solid place in indie LGBTQ film collections with its heart-wrenching depiction of the grief that comes from separation–both romantic and platonic. Ehlen (Heterosexual Jill) gives a vibrant performance as Jay, a nonbinary photographer scared at the possibility of losing their wife and starting a new life.
When Jay’s wife Lily (Jeneed Robinson) wants to separate, alluding to a “maybe someday” for the future of their relationship, Jay decides on a temporary move to LA. They stop on the way to stay with her once-best friend-and-crush, Jess (Shaela Cook), which surfaces old memories of their friendship. Jay and Jess can’t seem to recover their laid-back dynamic, but Jay unexpectedly finds that easy friendship in Tommy (Charlie Steers), a gay man and struggling comic who no longer believes in the possibility of love.
More than an LGBTQ film or a divorce story–though it provides valuable representation in both respects–Maybe Someday is a striking depiction of struggles all have experienced at one point or another: grief, loneliness, denial, uncertainty. Jay’s story–one so ubiquitous yet little explored in film–rings incredibly authentic and yet original in its execution. None of this should be surprising, given that Michelle Ehlen drew inspiration from her own divorce. Jay’s emotional turmoil feels all the more tangible for it.
The beginning of Maybe Someday presents something like a romantic comedy setup, but one weighed down by grief and depression and subsequently lifted by a relationship that is completely platonic. There are four main personalities in the movie, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, but it’s Jay who steals the show–especially when paired with Tommy.
The film could do without Lily’s physical presence at all; she contributes more to the story as a concept. Jess’s character, meanwhile, is one of the few inauthentic aspects of the drama. However, Jay and Tommy rightly take center stage, the lively moments between them breaking up Maybe Someday’s permeating melancholy.
Taken as a whole, Maybe Someday doesn’t know just what it wants to say, but it does know exactly how it wants to make you feel. The result is resonant, if not fully realized, exploration of grief and healing that makes Michelle Ehlen one director/actor/writer to watch. Recommended.
What kind of film collection would this title be suitable for?
Michelle Ehlen’s resonant portrayal of experiencing love and loss makes Maybe Someday a valuable addition to drama film collections, but its positive representation of a nonbinary and lesbian protagonist also makes it a worthy purchase for any library’s Pride Month Collection.
What public library shelves would this title be on?
Maybe Someday belongs on LGBTQ+, drama, and narrative film library shelves.
Would this film be suitable for an outdoor screening?
Jay’s authentic and relatable story makes Maybe Someday a perfect outdoor screening for the library’s LGBTQ+ community and its allies.