Director Rodrigo Garcia has nearly perfected the balance between tragedy and humor in his latest film Raymond and Ray. Equal parts grim, chaotic, and laugh-out-loud funny, Raymond and Ray is a wonderful dark comedy-drama about coping with trauma passed down to us from our parents.

Raymond and Ray, also written by Garcia, follows the story of two half-brothers tasked with burying their cruel estranged father. Due to their harsh upbringing, the two brothers have devolved into very broken men marred by their individual quirky hang-ups: Raymond (Ewan McGregor) lives a boring but passive-aggressive life where he prioritizes organization over unpredictability, while Ray (Ethan Hawke) is a recovering addict and out-of-work musician who uses his laidback attitude and good looks to conceal his insecurities.

We soon find out that it’s been years since the two brothers have spoken. During a four-year interval, Ray learns that Raymond’s third wife has filed for divorce and Raymond learns that Ray has just been fired from his latest freelance construction job and facilitating casual hook-ups just because he can. “We’re a couple of grown-ass men whose lives didn’t pan out,” Ray tells Raymond.

Once the small talk is out of the way, Raymond then divulges the true purpose of reconnecting with his brother after all these years: their father has died and despite knowing his sons didn’t like him, he leaves behind a series of absurd final requests for them to adhere to. (It’s best for me not to divulge them as they are so shockingly funny and outlandish that they are better left unsaid for your optimal viewing pleasure.) At first, Ray is unsure how to react to the news, he hates his father and blames him for everything that went wrong in his life. He’s even more baffled by the fact that conflict-free Raymond would agree to go anywhere near their father again, death be damned. Nevertheless, Ray decides to accompany Raymond on the trip to their father’s final resting place.

While it’s true that the film’s main premise is simple and primarily centered around the funeral, it also astounds as a beautifully intimate journey depicting grief, forgiveness, and the deep bonds of family. With Garcia at the helm, for those who know about the director’s own complicated relationship with his famous father, Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez, Raymond and Ray feels less like a movie and more like a character study of nurture vs nature, or perhaps the makings of a Chekhovian stage play, or something from the mind of English playwright Oscar Wilde.

It also helps that the dialogue-heavy character-driven film is anchored by seasoned actors Hawke and McGregor. On paper, this seems like an odd pairing. Trust me, I had my doubts too for a myriad of reasons. One is that McGregor is a beloved Scottish Disney/Lucasfilm darling who is just as handsome as he is goofy, his filmography in the last few years has mostly erred on the side of family-friendly films. And the other is the brooding and mysterious Hawke, but to be fair, he did play Scottish King Macbeth that one time. But the point is, though they both have a different flavor individually when mixed together they really make an intriguing and believable pair as brothers.

McGregor and Hawke sell their bond as brothers and then some, carefully measuring each quip and insult in an annoying cadence that only siblings possess. For example, Ray’s charisma and sex appeal are irresistible to any female that the brothers encounter. While making a brief visit to the funeral home, Ray innocently flirts with the staff member prompting Raymond to say, “Try not to f**k the funeral receptionist.” To which Ray smirks and quickly rebuttals —almost trying to feign innocence that he was thinking about it at all — “OK, I’ll try.” Garcia’s writing is so clear and concise that you can see how each of the men raised with their relentless father grew up into the men they have become today. And perhaps it will leave you thinking about your own relationship with your parents too.

Again, the film is small and relatable for those of us with complex family dynamics, but under Garcia’s direction and pacing, the story feels much bigger than it is. The music, scored by Jeff Beal, almost becomes a third character due to the significance of jazz to Ray’s psyche, romantic relationships, and his hatred of his father. And the supporting cast featuring Maribel Verdú, Sophie Okonedo, and Vondie Curtis-Hall also contribute to the film’s most tender moments.

Overall, Raymond and Ray is chock-full of unexpected revelations, profound concepts, and cathartic dialogue about the demons we need to confront in order to heal our deepest wounds.

Raymond and Ray premiered in the Gala Presentation section at TIFF and will release exclusively on Apple TV + on October 21.

Rating: 4/5

[This review was originally published for The Black Cape magazine]