--- title: "Ray & Liz: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/ray-and-liz/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/ray-and-liz" critics_score: 76 critics_reviews: 22 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Ray & Liz (2018): what the critics said Critics' score 76 from 22 reviews: 17 positive, 4 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics find Ray & Liz a moving, unsentimental account of family poverty and neglect, with praise centred on Billingham’s intimate knowledge of the people and rooms he depicts. The grainy 16mm imagery, cramped compositions and detailed recreation of the family home draw repeated approval. Several reviews also find humour, affection and empathy within the bleakness, crediting the film with neither blaming its subjects nor asking for easy sympathy. The main division concerns the fragmented storytelling: some critics value its refusal to tidy up memory, while others find the episodes disconnected or insufficiently developed. The Guardian offers the clearest dissent, finding the film frustrating and claustrophobic despite its vivid evocation of the past. The broadly positive AV Club also questions the reliance on grotesque detail and meticulous art direction. The spread is wide, but reservations more often qualify admiration than overturn it. ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Rating 5/5. 8 March 2019. O'Sullivan calls the film an instant classic while emphasizing its upsetting, unsentimental portrait of family life. She praises Billingham's ability to make the decrepit rooms feel richly expressive, with every detail helping tell the story. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/ray-liz-review-a-family-unhappy-in-its-own-upsetting-way-a4086251.html) ## Slant Magazine — Carson Lund Rating 3.5/4. 31 August 2018. Lund finds the film moving and specific, avoiding exploitative miserabilism despite one episode that verges on it. He especially praises the vivid production design and the atmospheric sequences following young Jason. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/ray-and-liz/) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 July 2019. Chang finds the film bleak yet remarkably free of bitterness, with humor and hope threaded through its sadness. He praises its diaristic detail and the way its cramped, textured imagery evokes Billingham’s photographs and imperfect memory. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-07-18/ray-and-liz-movie-review) ## Variety — Guy Lodge Rating Critics Pick. 7 August 2018. Festival review. Lodge calls the film a uniquely moving, formally rigorous memoir with strong emotional force. He particularly praises its grainy 16mm imagery and the intimate compositions that rework Billingham’s photography. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/locarno-film-review-ray-liz-1202895954/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B+. 11 July 2019. Ehrlich finds the film powerful despite its bleakness and elliptical, almost unfinished feeling. He praises its refusal to tidy up the memories or impose retroactive grace on a life shaped by boredom and neglect. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/ray-liz-review-richard-billingham-1202157252/) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 4/4/4. 7 March 2019. Jenkins calls it a very special, grimly poetic film that treats its subjects with neither sympathy-seeking nor blame. He praises Billingham’s affectionate recreation of the decaying childhood home and its vividly rendered details. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/ray-and-liz) ## Radio Times — Trevor Johnston Rating 4/5. Johnston views the drama positively, finding its portrait of squalor grounded in a lifetime of understanding. He singles out Billingham’s intimate perspective on his parents and childhood. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-l5b8x9/ray-and-liz/) ## Time Out — Chris Waywell Rating 4/5. 1 March 2019. The critic calls the film a terrific debut, praising its bleak authenticity. They single out its gorgeous cinematography. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/ray-liz) ## The AV Club — Lawrence Garcia Rating B. 8 July 2019. Garcia finds the film’s autobiographical portrait intensely specific but too often reduced to grotesque detail and meticulous art direction. He praises the final section’s tonal variation and its depiction of a child’s reckless freedom. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/ray-liz-draws-an-intensely-specific-portrait-of-a-tro-1836144745) ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 7 March 2019. Freer finds the film stark, memorable and deeply affecting, despite its difficult subject matter. He particularly praises its boxed-in 16mm imagery and its textured evocation of impoverished 1980s family life. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/ray-liz-review/) ## Sight and Sound — Ben Nicholson Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 7 March 2019. Nicholson finds the film a deeply personal, enriching study of poverty and family neglect, with contemporary relevance. He praises its emotive detail and occasional humour, while noting that some difficult flashback episodes feel disconnected. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/ray-liz-review-richard-billingham-digs-deep-into-high-rise-penury) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Leslie Felperin Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 6 August 2018. Festival review. The critic calls the film an auspicious and affecting debut, while noting that its translation of Billingham’s photographs sometimes feels uneasy with narrative demands. She singles out its striking visual perspective and intimate, respectful attention to the family. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/ray-liz-review-1132281/) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 9 July 2019. The review’s verdict and specific praise or criticism cannot be verified from the accessible page. The page returned a JavaScript and ad-blocker message rather than review text. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/09/movies/ray-and-liz-review.html) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be accessed, so its critical verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint can be verified from the supplied content. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ray-and-liz-2019) ## Screen Daily — Allan Hunter Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 5 August 2018. Festival review. The accessible text provides no critical verdict. Its standfirst identifies the film as an autobiographical look at Billingham’s difficult family life. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/ray-and-liz-locarno-review/5131454.article) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 17 October 2018. Festival review. Bradshaw finds the film intriguing but frustrating, and a tough, claustrophobic watch. He praises its vivid, unsentimental evocation of the past while faulting its fragmentary, open-ended quality. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/oct/17/ray-liz-review-brutal-study-of-a-family-coming-to-pieces) ## HeyUGuys Fi1m's normalised score 88/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film a breathtakingly honest, deeply moving portrait, despite its grimness and slow moments. They single out its exquisite 16mm cinematography and the emotional depth of Joshua Millard-Lloyd’s performance. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/ray-liz-review/) ## The Ringer — Manuela Lazic Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 17 September 2018. Festival review. Lazic calls the film an assured, challenging, and compelling debut. She especially praises its vivid performances and its humane portrayal of a family’s poverty. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2018/09/17/movies/toronto-international-film-festival-wrap-up) ## Film Stories — Stephanie Watts Fi1m's normalised score 82/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 2019. Watts finds the film deeply personal and worth seeking out, calling it a reflective family portrait that does not shy away from reality. She particularly praises Billingham’s intimate camera work and the detailed setting that brings the family’s world to life. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/ray-liz-review/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 19 July 2019. The critic finds the film powerful, melancholy, and ultimately forgiving, despite occasional directorial overreach. They praise Billingham’s empathic, closely observed direction and the emotional force of its intimate close-ups. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/ray-liz-film-review-richard-billingham-photographer/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 December 2018. Wilkinson finds the film artistically rigorous and bleak, but argues that Billingham’s approach invites empathy rather than condemnation. She praises its tactile 16mm imagery and the vivid, unflinching detail of the family’s surroundings. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/ray-liz-2018-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page appears to be a review of the specified film, but its verdict is unavailable. The anti-crawler block prevents identifying what the critic praises or criticizes. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/ray-liz-fnc-review-20181014/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/ray-and-liz.md