Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £6.99 a month
Ray & Liz
In this personal film, Richard Billingham delves into his upbringing to recreate family memories and desperate living in Thatcher’s Britain.
Director: Richard Billingham
Overview
Ray gazes out of his high-rise council estate, a pinkish yellow glow flooding the netting of his window. In his alcoholic haze, time is indistinct. Two decades since his iconic photography book Ray’s a Laugh documented his parents’ life in their council flat, Richard Billingham returns to the same block on the fringes of Birmingham.
Stunningly filmed in 16mm, Ray & Liz is a painstakingly vivid testament to Billingham’s memories and the desolation and impact caused by the government’s austerity measures. Justin Salinger is the spitting image of Billingham’s dad, while Daniel Landin’s cinematography (Under the Skin) and Beck Rainford’s production design evoke a powerful sense of mood and place that frames shocking recreations of chapters in Richard and his younger brother Jason’s childhood.
very strong language
Related
Climax Climax
Drama 2018 96 mins Director: Gaspar Noé
Gaspar Noé's visually dazzling feast of music and mayhem reveals a director at the height of his provocative filmmaking powers.
Irreversible Irreversible
Drama 2002 93 mins Director: Gaspar Noé
Gaspar Noé's retina-searing shocker about an assault and its revenge, told in reverse chronology and starring Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel.
Along Came Love Along Came Love
Drama 2023 124 mins Director: Katell Quillévéré
Two lovers become entwined while both harbouring deep secrets and shame, in this epic postwar romance.
Craig's Wife Craig's Wife
Drama 1936 74 mins Director: Dorothy Arzner
Rosalind Russell’s breakout performance is a tour de force in Dorothy Arzner's high melodrama.
Shoplifters Shoplifters
Drama 2018 121 mins Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Hirokazu Koreeda's modern masterpiece is a dark yet touching account of an unorthodox family that relies on shoplifting to make ends meet.
Parasite Parasite
Drama 2019 132 mins Director: Bong Joon-ho
Bong Joon Ho's Oscar®-winning box-office sensation is a darkly comic, twisty rollercoaster ride.
The Arbor The Arbor
Biopic 2010 90 mins Director: Clio Barnard
Clio Barnard's film about Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar mixes reconstruction, interviews (performed by actors) and scenes from the plays.
Bullet Boy Bullet Boy
Drama 2005 86 mins Director: Saul Dibb
Ashley Walters impresses in the hard-hitting Hackney drama that’s still one of the best of Britain’s black urban crime films.
La Haine La Haine
Drama 1995 98 mins Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Mathieu Kassovitz’s landmark mid-90s drama throws a cinematic Molotov cocktail at structural racism, police brutality and media manipulation.
Christiane F. Christiane F.
Drama 1981 131 mins Director: Uli Edel
David Bowie’s image and music gives brooding energy to this tale of a junkie sex-worker in 70s Berlin.
Out of the Blue Out of the Blue
Drama 1980 96 mins Director: Dennis Hopper
Directed by Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider) this story of a blue-collar family coming apart features an astonishing performance from Linda Manz (Days of Heaven).
Nil by Mouth Nil by Mouth
Drama 1997 129 mins Director: Gary Oldman
Twenty-five years old and newly restored, Gary Oldman’s BAFTA-winning debut as writer-director remains a magnificent achievement.
Climax Climax
Drama 2018 96 mins Director: Gaspar Noé
Gaspar Noé's visually dazzling feast of music and mayhem reveals a director at the height of his provocative filmmaking powers.
Irreversible Irreversible
Drama 2002 93 mins Director: Gaspar Noé
Gaspar Noé's retina-searing shocker about an assault and its revenge, told in reverse chronology and starring Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel.
Along Came Love Along Came Love
Drama 2023 124 mins Director: Katell Quillévéré
Two lovers become entwined while both harbouring deep secrets and shame, in this epic postwar romance.
Mother Mother
Thriller 2009 129 mins Director: Bong Joon-ho
Acclaimed Korean actor Kim Hye-ja is outstanding as a mother who will do anything to protect her son, in Bong Joon Ho’s fourth feature.
Craig's Wife Craig's Wife
Drama 1936 74 mins Director: Dorothy Arzner
Rosalind Russell’s breakout performance is a tour de force in Dorothy Arzner's high melodrama.
Shoplifters Shoplifters
Drama 2018 121 mins Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Hirokazu Koreeda's modern masterpiece is a dark yet touching account of an unorthodox family that relies on shoplifting to make ends meet.