In About Ray, Elle Fanning plays a teenager transitioning from female to male with both the support of his mother (Naomi Watts) and grandmother (Susan Sarandon). Ironically, it's Ray's absentee father (Tate Donovan), who has a problem with it. The movie's uplifting first trailer shows us what looks like Fanning's most fully realized performance so far and—speaking of transitions—her official entry into young adult roles after a long career as a child star.
The movie, directed by Gaby Dellal, couldn't have come at a better time, when the plight of transgender people are finally a part of the national conversation. Caitlyn Jenner has made it a priority to bring attention to the thousands of young people who are struggling with their sexual identity, and a movie like About Ray should give you a better idea of who those people are. Now, we just need young trans men to appear in big budget movies...playing themselves, too.
It hits theaters on September 18.
