Movies about grief and loss are never going to be easy ones to watch, and can either be direct or take the more comedic route to the story. But Raymond and Ray, takes a look at what loss feels like after dysfunction. The movie follows two half-brothers, Raymond and Ray, whose father died. The brothers are on a journey to not only bury their father but close a painful chapter of their lives.
With their father’s final request being that his sons dig his own grave, the majority of Raymond and Ray takes place at the funeral home or in the cemetery as the brothers deal with the legal side of their father’s death, his burial and the curveballs they keep encountering as more of their father’s life is revealed to them. It seems that no one knew their father the same way they did, and the brothers bonded by their trauma and past abuse have to find their own ways to grieve and come to terms with this.
The movie simply is a look at death we don’t usually get, what happens when the toxic person in your life passes away. While they had a negative impact on your life, especially if they are a parent, they still had an impact on your life. It highlights the different relationships that people have and the different masks people have on around others, and how no matter what, we don’t truly know someone completely. It shows how much childhood trauma can shape a life, and the choices you make later can help direct your life. On the surface, the movie doesn’t seem very deep, it does bring a lot to the surface. And anyone who had childhood abuse, or a rough relationship with a parental figure may have a hard time watching this movie.
Raymond and Ray will be in select theaters and globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, October 21st. While it may not be a story for everyone, and it has moments that will have you questioning the movie – it’s an accurate depiction of grief. The waves of emotions throughout the movie, the anger, tears, and things that border on the absurd. And that, simply is what this movie is, layers of emotions, waves of familial mess and dysfunction and hopefully a path towards healing.
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About Ray and Raymond
“Raymond & Ray” follows half-brothers Raymond and Ray who have lived in the shadow of a terrible father. Somehow, they still each have a sense of humor, and his funeral is a chance for them to reinvent themselves. There’s anger, there’s pain, there’s folly, there might be love, and there’s definitely grave-digging. Written and directed by Rodrigo García, produced by Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuarón along with Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn through Mockingbird Pictures. Gabriela Rodriguez and Shea Kammer executive produce.