3 Generations

Ray (Elle Fanning) wants to transition to being a boy. He's 16 and needs parental consent. His mother Maggie (Naomi Watts) has to track down his biological father. They live in NYC with Maggie's gay mother Dolly (Susan Sarandon) and her girlfriend Frances. Dolly would rather Ray be a lesbian.

This is tackling an advanced edgy issue. It needs some better writing. The actors are top notch. The story needs to move but it's stuck in molasses. The dream girl probably needs more screen time and played by someone more charismatic. Quite frankly, she needs to be played by somebody like Elle. Ray's flailing attempts at romance is the most compelling story opportunity. There could be love triangles and unrequited love. The bio dad is not that compelling. Despite any weakness in writing, the actors carry the heavy load well especially Elle.

It's a fascinating story about a fragile girl whose only desire is to be a boy and the ramifications this decision has on her family. Ella Fanning displays great teenage angst - throwing tantrums, manipulation, sarcasm, selfishness, it's all there.

Naomi Watts is the stand out, struggling to support her daughter's situation while juggling her own interesting relationships with her ex partners and mothers. Everyone performed their parts well, Susan Sarandon has a minimal presence throughout the film yet is memorable.

I'd have liked to have seen Ray/Ramona's mental instability addressed in the film as you never really understand why she wants to be a boy other than she's merely wanted it so since she was a little girl. Maybe that's all there is to it?

About Ray (3 Generations) had the potential to be something great. Im a trans teen myself and I have been waiting for this movie for a long time. unfortunately it missed the opportunity to address the struggles trans teens face. instead focusing on more traditional family drama and ray happened to be trans.... the writers missed a huge opportunity

This movie tackles a difficult subject very appropriate for today, with drama but also mild humor. The network of family this teen is growing in, is a diverse cross section of modern families. And though they are living a more progressive lifestyle, this goes to show how difficult this transition period can be for any family. With ties to a child's birth gender and realizing the changes that come with a decision to honor one's own feelings of who they are, families struggle no matter how open minded they may think they are. Or how imperfect they see themselves. This was done with amazing sensitivity to the fact that families are comprised in many different ways, showing the emotions that come when people choose to love, take risks and work towards supporting one another. This may become a cult film as the world catches up with this very real struggle, and the love that overcomes the fear.

I was baffled that neither the metascore nor the user rating was very high. So I read the reviews from both critics and users. And basically the criticism is that it doesn't focus more on Ray showing more of her struggle or her transformation even saying it lacks the focus on that.

So basically the movie get's blamed for not being what was expected. Well even if it isn't the first time this happened you can't do that. The movie is called "3 Generations" even showing the the three main characters not just one. A filmmaker can choose whatever he wants the focus to be and so she decided to show rays pain but also how the decision affects her mother her father and her grandmother as well.

So here are the facts. This is real good story with Sarandon, Watts and Fanning being at their best. How Fanning doesn't get awards nominations for this is beyond me. Since this already is a heavy emotionally loaded topping with a lot of pain, sorrow director Gaby Dellal as well as writer Nikole Beckwith wrote this very good and funny dialog. A banter between the three main characters that will put a smile on your face on many occasions. Great script, great actors and well directed make this a very touching and moving film.