Elle Fanning's Upcoming Movie Is Timely

It's been more than a year since the Weinstein Co.'s drama, About Ray, was supposed to be released. According to Entertainment Weekly, the film, which has since been renamed to 3 Generations, finally has a new premiere date. Starring Elle Fanning as a transgender teen named Ray, the movie will debut in New York and Los Angeles on May 5, expanding nationwide shortly after. The distributor's decision to push back the date was reportedly made so director Gaby Dellal could work more on the final edit. This newer version also has additional footage, according to EW.

As reported by IndieWire, the film tells the story of teenage Ray, who decides to follow his truth and pursue his true identity with the assistance of his family. As the trailer describes it, the film follows a "family in transition" as the women who heavily figure into Ray's life (his mother and grandmother), as well as his estranged father, try to support the teenager.

Not only does this movie tell an interesting and timely story, it also has an all-star cast to boot. Fanning is joined by Naomi Watts as Ray's mother, Maggie; Susan Sarandon as his lesbian grandmother, Dolly; and Tate Donovan as the unavailable father, Craig.

Dellal, who in the past came under fire for statements regarding the portrayal of Ray by a cisgender female, extolled the people she has met through the project. "Throughout making this film I have met loving families, fearless transgender youth and women who have fought for gender equality for decades," Dellal said in a statement, according to EW. "This film, both heart-warming and heart wrenching, is for them."

Executive producer and star Watts also threw in her two cents. “This story loudly and bravely advocates for acceptance, both of others and of oneself," she shared in a statement to EW. "It’s a message we all believe in and are all incredibly proud to share this story with audiences, now more than ever.”

The wold premiere of the movie formerly known as About Ray went down at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. It reportedly received a standing ovation at the first showing.

Ideally, the stories of teens like Ray would be told with transgender actors — and hopefully, someday soon they will be. For now, we've got movies like 3 Generations, which aim to bring transgender issues to the mainstream. It may not be perfect, but it's a start.