June 15th, Movie 16

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is a biographical film starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the eccentric British artist Louis Wain, in a film that encapsulates his life after the death of his father, through the roller coaster of a life that included his marriage to his beloved Emily (Claire Foy), her loss to cancer, his artistic flair for drawing cats, his struggle with mental illness and the constant weight of supporting a family of sisters.

Benedict Cumberbatch is remarkable in this movie, bringing such range to this odd character, but never playing him like he was less than what he was. The relationship between Louis and Emily was beautiful, despite it being tragically too short. Cumberbatch and Foy do a remarkable job working together breathe life, an electricity if you must, into the couple. The strange pairing really worked and created an undertone for the entire film.

There were plenty of other exceptional actors involved in this movie including Toby Jones, Taika Waititi, Andrea Riseborough, Adeel Akhtar, Phoebe Nicholls, Sharon Rooney, Sophia Di Martino, Aimee Lou Wood, Hayley Squires, and the narrator of the movie, Olivia Colman.

Imagine what the internet would be like today if Louis Wain would not have created the idea that cats could be featured in humorous poses or shown as more than just the evil villain of the animal world. The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is a stylistic film with a top notch Benedict Cumberbatch performance and some real emotions brought about by a difficult life. It is currently available on Amazon Prime and I found it to be charming as well as an emotional ride.