The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
The extraordinary true story of eccentric British artist Louis Wain, whose playful, sometimes even psychedelic pictures helped to transform the public's perception of cats forever.
- Released: 2021-10-22
- Runtime: 111 minutes
- Genre: Drama, History
- Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, Andrea Riseborough, Toby Jones, Stacy Martin, Sharon Rooney, Hayley Squires, Aimee Lou Wood, Adeel Akhtar, Julian Barratt, Asim Chaudhry, Indica Watson, Sophia Di Martino, Taika Waititi, Olivia Colman, Nick Cave, Jamie Demetriou, Crystal Clarke
- Director: Will Sharpe
Comments
- ianharrison747 - 21 September 2023
No curiosity...
This film reminded me of Bodyguard. A bit weird but the female heroine dies halfway through just like Keeley Hawes the eminent politician n in Bodyguard.
If you need to commit cinematic suicide... spend an hour or so building up a character with a great actor like Keeley Hawes or Claire Foy and then kill them off.
Richard Madden and Benedict Cumberpatch both excel but needed a sparring partner and excellent scripts to complete the films.
Cats, much as I am curious will not make up for a savage sinking of the ship half way through the dim script. The Electrical Life loses it's spark and will to live around one hour. Nice photography, artwork and competent music but then they all seemed to die by 1899. Sorry I've lost the plot if there was one. - faidai - 7 February 2023
An absolute joy.
Before I start I have to say that I adore cats, of any hue, variety or size. From sand cats to tigers & everything in-between. So I have always loved Louis Wain ever since I saw some of his artwork when I was about 8. All of which predisposed me to look favourably on this film before it even started!
Having said that, however, I was unprepared for the sheer quality of the storytelling & superlative performances throughout from every one of the cast. Benedict Cumberbatch's performance is a tour de force, tender, unsettling & joyous, sometimes all three at the same time. It's impossible to grasp the strictures of the social mores of the time, the condemnation of the whole family simply because Wain married "beneath" him. Add to that the insanity of his sister & the perceived oddness of his mother & the scene was set for conventional society's cold shoulder.
A light was also shone, briefly, on the hideous nature of mental health care of the time, with the scenes in Wain's asylum unrelentingly bleak. I did think that he was lucky that he didn't get up close & personal with ECT, it would have seriously made him question his enthusiasm for electricity!
All in all, a beautifully handled story, with only one unfortunate mis-step into tweeness, right at the very end, which was forgiveable given the quality of the film until then. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves the art of the film maker & their ability to take us out of ourselves for a brief moment. Watch this & enjoy! - pwarrior - 18 August 2022
Fascinating glimpse of being a human
What a delightful & fascinating film this discovery was!! Wonderful acting, directing, script, etc. It blends art, perception, ADHD, mental health, cats!, & more. After working in a mental health art studio, this illustrates effectively what is more common in life for some people as well as how others who live a "different"/more ordinary existence can regard how other experience life - with appreciation, derision, curiosity, etc. - icminindy - 14 June 2022
Enlightening with great performances
Benjamin C delivers another incredible performance that grabs your heart and takes it for a journey of Wains heart & soul. You will see the exploited Wain in thousands of illustrations all around us after you see this film.
