RVA and Charles City Featured in VA Must-See Film: “Raymond and Ray”

Virginia Film Festival presented a sneak preview of Raymond and Ray at The Paramount Theater on Sept. 25. The audience cheered to see brothers, Raymond and Ray, in Richmond and Charles City. Their characters were played by Ethan Hawke and Ewan McGregor as they find themselves brought together to, quite literally, bury their dead father.

 Guest speakers included director Rodrigo Garcia and producer Julie Lynn, who shared their experience working on Raymond and Ray. The idea of filming in Richmond was weighed against other cities like Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Lynn has a personal connection to Virginia because she is a UVA alumni. She expressed she was delighted by the opportunity to showcase Richmond’s jazzy, southern feel which served as a backdrop to a heartwarming story about loss, family, and new chapters.

Humor isn’t an emotion that we normally associate with death. But Raymond and Ray brings light to nontraditional family structures and how loss has a different meaning depending on your relationship (or lack thereof) with a person. The less-than 2 hour film airs out the skeletons in the closet and invites new opportunities for the brothers. At the heart of it all are familiar views of the James River, surrounding country roads, and familiar neighborhoods such as Jackson Ward and Church Hill.

The movie was previewed in celebration of the upcoming annual VA Film Festival’s 35th anniversary. This year’s festival dates are Nov. 2-6. For more information like how to obtain tickets (which are free for UVA students), upcoming events, and everything in-between you can visit https://virginiafilmfestival.org/ or email info@virginiafilmfestival.org.