The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021)
Rarely does a movie nowadays provoke its own ambition. This is the way I would try to commercially propose "The Electrical Life of Louis Wain". I have said in the past that "The first signs of a unique film are usually shown during the first 10 or 20 minutes." You simply just know if it's worth your while... Yet this time (in my own humble opinion) it is one of those exceptions where the more you invest in the characters presented in this picture... the more you harvest. The more patient you are, the more receiving it will be as a whole.
Are there flaws? Yes. Are they easily recognizable? Depends on how many movies you've seen and of course how much forgiving of a person you are. Many of the attempts at creating emotion or attention come as delightful as you would think it can get; but there seems to be a lot of other attempts at crafting something surreal and extremely unique that feel way too forced. Now this does not mean that it's all just an unbalanced mess. It's just that the screenplay and direction often seem to try a bit too hard.
The story of a man enthralled by cats (even as a "True Story" as it is presented) has a lot of ambition to be put on the big screen. That alone could be considered a risk and in a world full of empty and emotionless films we should all applaud such great work. Director Will Sharpe has not only captured my interest for any future work, but he has the potential of even been considered a great new talent. What has been achieved here is worth recognizing: a character study of a person that not many (or even a few) came to know, within two hours becomes a person whose life means more than we could ever possibly imagine and a face that some would like to get to know better. ("Some" I said. Let's not overdo it.) That face is hard to pick. Who can bring such a character to life? Director Sharpe obviously went right away to his fellow "Sherlock" co-worker Benedict Cumberbatch, who once again understands the task he is given. He really gives everything here and is truly remarkable at capturing the essence of this deep personality. His way of appreciating and portraying mr. Wain is for sure another performance to add in his great film career. It's one of those castings that you would definitely look back and say: "I can't think of a person who could do this better." Claire Foy is once again great as the love of his life, portraying a woman sad, tormented whilst inspiring (especially to our protagonist).
Wain is a man full of talent. He loves his family but the thing that shapes his life is his hobby: cats and drawing cats. His manners are distinctive. He likes to draw and has a lot to show for it, but his smarts are limited. Even if he could be rich, he just can't use his brain at finances the outstanding way he uses it for the paper. Therefore, the world around him soon takes advantage of his weaknesses. It all just doesn't matter to him, because he is just not like any other person. Except for one thing. That one little thing that seems to be the same need for us all, isn't it? He meets Miss Emily Richardson and falls in love... that woman will soon help him discover whole other worlds inside his warm little heart. It won't change his love for cats though... rather encourage and inflame it.
What happens after is just full of spoilers and I don't want to ruin it for anyone. The blending of past traumas and future personal problems of Wain is one of the greatest strengths of this film. I would give recognition to the screenplay even if it would be just for those parts alone.
At a certain poignant (favorite) moment in the middle of the film, Foy (as miss Emily Richardson Wain) marks the question that could very well be a long subtitle or theme of the film: "What's going on in that funny little head of yours?" she asks and we are to be left to wonder alongside her. In the end, the purposes of all those lives we enter at the beginning of the film have something to comment on our own personalities. Near the end we discover of course serious obvious medical reasons and such that have been under the radar for most of the family members portrayed. But that still doesn't take away the weight of love and passion that especially Wain showed in his life for his wife and others. Relationships that shaped who he was were now long gone and only kept alive by his own nostalgia... His passion for cats was the only thing left that kept him going.
The scope of this film is sometimes larger than it should be. Its meaning might not be buried under pretences, but rather lost in tired sequences. I would end the film a bit earlier but I wouldn't want to insult such great attempts at being so distinctive. If you like films that want to go deep and not just try to be another one of those classic romantic\cheesy ones, I would definitely recommend watching "The Electrical Life of Louis Wain".
8/10 Stars.
Are there flaws? Yes. Are they easily recognizable? Depends on how many movies you've seen and of course how much forgiving of a person you are. Many of the attempts at creating emotion or attention come as delightful as you would think it can get; but there seems to be a lot of other attempts at crafting something surreal and extremely unique that feel way too forced. Now this does not mean that it's all just an unbalanced mess. It's just that the screenplay and direction often seem to try a bit too hard.
The story of a man enthralled by cats (even as a "True Story" as it is presented) has a lot of ambition to be put on the big screen. That alone could be considered a risk and in a world full of empty and emotionless films we should all applaud such great work. Director Will Sharpe has not only captured my interest for any future work, but he has the potential of even been considered a great new talent. What has been achieved here is worth recognizing: a character study of a person that not many (or even a few) came to know, within two hours becomes a person whose life means more than we could ever possibly imagine and a face that some would like to get to know better. ("Some" I said. Let's not overdo it.) That face is hard to pick. Who can bring such a character to life? Director Sharpe obviously went right away to his fellow "Sherlock" co-worker Benedict Cumberbatch, who once again understands the task he is given. He really gives everything here and is truly remarkable at capturing the essence of this deep personality. His way of appreciating and portraying mr. Wain is for sure another performance to add in his great film career. It's one of those castings that you would definitely look back and say: "I can't think of a person who could do this better." Claire Foy is once again great as the love of his life, portraying a woman sad, tormented whilst inspiring (especially to our protagonist).
Wain is a man full of talent. He loves his family but the thing that shapes his life is his hobby: cats and drawing cats. His manners are distinctive. He likes to draw and has a lot to show for it, but his smarts are limited. Even if he could be rich, he just can't use his brain at finances the outstanding way he uses it for the paper. Therefore, the world around him soon takes advantage of his weaknesses. It all just doesn't matter to him, because he is just not like any other person. Except for one thing. That one little thing that seems to be the same need for us all, isn't it? He meets Miss Emily Richardson and falls in love... that woman will soon help him discover whole other worlds inside his warm little heart. It won't change his love for cats though... rather encourage and inflame it.
What happens after is just full of spoilers and I don't want to ruin it for anyone. The blending of past traumas and future personal problems of Wain is one of the greatest strengths of this film. I would give recognition to the screenplay even if it would be just for those parts alone.
At a certain poignant (favorite) moment in the middle of the film, Foy (as miss Emily Richardson Wain) marks the question that could very well be a long subtitle or theme of the film: "What's going on in that funny little head of yours?" she asks and we are to be left to wonder alongside her. In the end, the purposes of all those lives we enter at the beginning of the film have something to comment on our own personalities. Near the end we discover of course serious obvious medical reasons and such that have been under the radar for most of the family members portrayed. But that still doesn't take away the weight of love and passion that especially Wain showed in his life for his wife and others. Relationships that shaped who he was were now long gone and only kept alive by his own nostalgia... His passion for cats was the only thing left that kept him going.
The scope of this film is sometimes larger than it should be. Its meaning might not be buried under pretences, but rather lost in tired sequences. I would end the film a bit earlier but I wouldn't want to insult such great attempts at being so distinctive. If you like films that want to go deep and not just try to be another one of those classic romantic\cheesy ones, I would definitely recommend watching "The Electrical Life of Louis Wain".
8/10 Stars.