Today’s movie is a bit of an off-the-wall option when compared to the rest of this blog, but a change of pace can be good. “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain” is a biopic produced by Amazon films, stars Benedict Cumberbatch, and takes place from 1884 to 1927, chronicling the life of an eccentric Victorian era illustrator known as Louis Wain. This is not a film I would choose on my own, but rather was one my father thought looked interesting when we were scrolling through Amazon Prime. Here is the trailer.
First off, let me just start by saying that Benedict Cumberbatch is awesome. I think this is a statement I’ve made before, so I won’t go into too much detail, but just know… the guy rules. Anyway, in this film he plays an artist with far greater ambitions. At the start, he is attempting to direct his creativity all sorts of directions with not much success; he’s written an opera that nobody likes, submitted patents that were not approved, and struggles to provide for his 5 sisters and mother as a part-time illustrator at a magazine.
Right near the start of the film, his older sisters hire a “governess” for the younger siblings to help teach them how to be civilized. This governess (named Emily) and Louis immediately develop chemistry, much to the chagrin of the sisters and the other members of the Victorian upper class. I guess a governess is of a lower class, and therefore is not suitable for Louis to pursue.
Louis, however, is a bit of a maverick. Eventually, Emily and Louis marry and move out to the country. They are deliriously happy for the first 6 months, until Emily is diagnosed with breast cancer. About the time of her diagnosis, the two also rescue a small kitten, which they then raise together as a way to deal with her eventual death. As a part of helping her cope, Louis develops a series of quirky drawings of cats. Emily is so stunned by these, she convinces him to show them to the owner of the local newspaper, who immediately commissions him to fill 2 pages of his Christmas edition with his creations.
So here he is, finally finding success while the love of his life is dying in front of him. Eventually she does pass, leaving him alone with their young kitten. Its worth saying here that this scene is overwhelmingly well done; without seeing a dead body, you see Cumberbatch putting on a master class of emotions as he comes to grips with her death.
Flash forward 5 years… he has continued to do cat drawings, but has not copyrighted any of them. Therefore, he now has not profited on anything, so he and his sisters/mother are nearly bankrupt. Additionally, one of his sisters has developed schizophrenia, and he does not have the money to provide for her care. Eventually, his wealthy newspaper friend allows him to move into one of his large estates near the water, along with his family, in an attempt to care for both his mother and his sister.
The next act is all about how the world continues to beat him down; he travels to America with a hope of capitalizing on new illustrations, but his eccentricities are viewed as near insanity, limiting his success. While in America, his mother dies and he is forced to return home. Then, his sister (the one with schizophrenia) dies as well. Finally, his eldest sister ends up passing as well, driving him pretty well insane.
The last act is all about his time near the end of his life in the “pauper’s ward”, as he himself has gone insane but has no money to pay for decent care. A medical inspector finds him and starts a campaign to get him funding to go to a decent hospital where he can have a pet cat and spend time outside. The final scene is one where he returns to he and his wife’s special place, and he just takes in the beauty of the world.
My father put it correctly in that he called this film “essentially a love story”. Even though his wife dies in the first half, the remainder of the film is Louis holding on to her memory and struggling with her absence. Generally, this sort of film does not appeal to me. Biopics aren’t really my thing, nor are love stories. But Benedict Cumberbatch makes this one work. His acting is amazing, his mannerisms quirky enough to be endearing but realistic enough to be relatable. He is listed as the producer on this one, and you can tell he is absolutely all-in.
To wrap up here, this movie is great. I had no idea what to expect, but at first glance this movie did not look like something I’d be in to. However, after watching it, I have to give it a solid recommend. Not every movie can choke me up, but this one did the trick. If you have Amazon Prime, check it out. It is most certainly worth the 2 hour runtime.
Ain't That Bad - Movie Blog 