The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021 | UK/US | 111 mins | Will Sharpe)
An electric life indeed. Louis Wain (Benedict Cumberbatch) was a talented and prolific artist and even early in life, quite eccentric. After his father passed away he was the sole money-maker for his five sisters and ailing mother, but he never seemed fit for typical employment. Drawing portraits, illustrations, and animals he made a meager wage that kept the family afloat. He fell in love with his sisters’ governess Emily (Claire Foy) who happened to be 10 years older, so it was quite a scandal.
Not caring one iota what anyone else thought, he created a home for them both in the country. Taking in a small kitten as a pet, which wasn’t typical for the day, the three of them were a happy little family living in eccentric bliss together. That joy was short-lived; soon after they married doctors diagnosed Emily with cancer. He began drawing their cat in earnest to lift his wife’s spirits, but even after her passing he continued to draw felines creating quite a stir and gaining many accolades in the artistic community.
A few years later his cat renderings took on a psychedelic slant as he began to show signs of schizophrenia, an illness that also afflicted one of his sisters. Louis’ life took an even steeper downturn from there with only his memories of Emily and art to keep him moving forward. Having a slightly happier ending than you’d expect, The Electric Life of Louis Wain is quite the understated adventure.
I was fascinated by the man long before I had the opportunity to see this film and was eager to watch his life unfold on screen. I’d read about him lightly but the details of his life had eluded me, so watching this sweet, curious and socially awkward man amble his way through life with a little good, but mostly bad and even disastrous events was rough. I had hoped they’d linger more on his work, reveal his reasoning and how his art evolved rather than shunting it off to discuss his home life and relationship with his family.
It’s his art and his style that I find most fascinating; so having that take a back seat was a little frustrating. That being said, understanding an artist in his personal life has its own merits so watching it wasn’t a waste of time by any means.
I will always find Benedict Cumberbatch charming and most likely I will never hate a film he is in … but I guess never say never. Claire Foy put in a delightful performance as well, the chemistry between she and her cohort was palpable despite her somewhat short time on-screen. The film was sweetly funny with the superb dry wit Cumberbatch is known for, even in its darkest moments.
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain arrives in theaters on October 22 and begins streaming on Prime Video on November 5th.