Ray & Liz 2018
Distributed by Kimstim, 417 13th Street #2,
Brooklyn, New York 11215
Directed by Richard Billingham
Streaming, 107 mins
College - General Adult
Drama, Family Relations, Feature Films
Date Entered: 05/13/2020
Reviewed by Jodi Hoover, Digital Resources Manager, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, MDRay & Liz depicts the life of the Billingham family through a series of episodes that move between past and present. The present focuses on Ray who lives in a one room fly infested flat. A neighbor keeps him supplied with home brewed alcohol so he can spend his days in a listless haze. He looks out his window, listens to the radio and occasionally his estranged wife Liz comes to visit. These are the parameters of his life.
Ray’s isolated life sets the stage for two long flashbacks that could be memories, but they are depicted in an observational way that is larger than Ray’s perspective. Through these memories the viewer sees more of the family dynamic as they struggle to survive in an unstable environment on the outskirts of Birmingham during the Thatcher era. The family is highly dysfunctional, and the flashback memories include intense depictions of violence, neglect and abuse.
Ray & Liz represents the feature film debut for director Richard Billingham. Billingham is most well-known for his photography which has often focused on his relationship with his family. Billingham’s work is remarkable for its unflinching approach to realism and the film Ray & Liz is clearly a continuation of this concept. It is unclear how much of the narrative is strictly auto-biographical but there is a documentary feel to the film that is hard to escape. Billingham’s photographer’s eye is in full display with beautiful captured moments that provide significant depth and visual interest to the film. The 4:3 aspect ratio is jarring at first but adds to the photographic style of the film and contributes to the claustrophobic feel of the Billingham’s life.
The film is not for everyone. I recommend it for academic and public libraries with strong foreign film collections, documentary photography collections or an interest in film studies.
Awards:
Locarno Film Festival, International Competition: Special Mention Jury Prize; Thessaloniki Film Festival, International Competition: Golden Alexander for Best Film; El Gouna Film Festival, International Competition: Silver Award for Narrative Film; Batumi Film Festival, International Competition – Best Film & Best Actress Award to Ella Smith; Nouveau Cinema Montreal Film Festival, Les Nouveaux Alchimistes: Special Mention Jury Prize