25 must-see films playing at this year’s AFI Fest

Ray & Liz

What’s the story?: Director and screenwriter Richard Billingham crafts a “cine-memoir” looking at his time growing up in a London council flat, leading up to a confrontation with his parents, Ray and Liz.

It’s interesting watching how other countries depict poverty, maybe because the term means drastically different things depending on the economic circumstances of other countries. In England, the era when Margaret Thatcher was in power is a particularly sore subject, with the rise of council housing leading to a string of stories about low-income Englanders. A recent (great example) of this, though not set in Thatcher-era England, is Andrea Arnold’s coming-of-age drama, Fish Tank.

Ray & Liz is described as a “cine memoir” in its promotional materials, but I’m not 100 percent clear on what that means. It stars a cast of actors detailing director Billingham’s upbringing, so wouldn’t it be an autobiographical film or biopic? Terms aside, Ray & Liz looks like a vibrant yet difficult tale of a couple growing up poor and attempting to raise children despite their own failings. There are several excellent-looking family dramas, and the fact that this is based on Billingham’s own experiences intensifies the authenticity. Will it ultimately redeem the couple or not? That’s part of the desire to see it.