Synopsis

Inspired by director Richard Billingham’s own memories of childhood, and featuring his alcoholic father, obese mother and irrepressible younger brother, Ray & Liz is marked by bleak humour about subjects such as his parents’ marriage and his experiences of growing up poor in the outskirts of Birmingham. Billingham’s camera charmingly captures subliminal details, from lace curtains and ostentatious wallpaper to illicit homemade brews, to exude an emotional texture that spans three vignettes.

The film is part of the artist’s family-centered body of photography and video work, which he began in the mid-’90s, capturing images of his father with the intention of making paintings out of them. Its matter-of-fact portrayal of life on the margins is both devastating and hopeful.

Movie Trailer