In the Netflix documentary Will & Harper, longtime friends Will Ferrell and Harper Steele embark on a cross-country road trip to process a new stage of their relationship, following Harper’s coming out as a trans woman. The journey they take – filled with old friends, memorable encounters, unexpected detours, and a deepening of their understanding of each other and themselves – perfectly echoes the long and enduring tradition of the road movie. Open to the Open Road: A Cinematic Road Trip Inspired by ‘Will & Harper’ collects films from across cinema history that paved the way for WIll & Harper’s odyssey, a genre-spanning line-up with one crucial element in common: central characters who work through their clashing personalities and common hardships by facing the unpredictability of the road head-on.

Will & Harper is now playing on Netflix.