Distant Voices, Still Lives unfolds as a series of tableaux based on moments from Davies’ family life growing up, creating a searingly intimate portrait of working-class Liverpool in the late 1940s and 1950s. Focusing on the real-life experiences of his mother, sisters and brother, Davies presents a household torn apart by a violent father and reunited in their fear and hatred of him. It was this film that announced the importance of music in Davies’ work – whether encountered over the radio, in pub sing-alongs or blasting directly from the film’s soundtrack – and above all confirmed his ability to tell stories visually. – DP