Playstation (1999)

Richard Billingham

Richard’s work explores relationships between boredom and addiction. This film shows his younger brother hammering a games console while coming down from a night on speed. Richard was originally going to film Jason’s face, but was struck by the manic expression in his brother’s fingers.

The Billinghams grew up in poverty after their dad lost his factory job and began to drink heavily. Richard’s short films feature family and friends hanging out and finding ways to kill time.

Research at King’s College London asks: does heightened impulsiveness in response to boredom partly stem from people’s attempts to deal with meaninglessness when bored?