The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021)

[Edgy MD]

In the latest of his portrayals of iconic historical Brits who were neurodivergent social misfits, Benedict Cumberbatch stars as the titular Louis Wain, the celebrated illustrator of anthropomorphic cats, whose whimsical work somehow rose out of a life of tragedy and struggle, but (or so it is argued) changed the place of the cat in Western Anglo culture.



[FIMG=350]https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/TlkAAOSwAQVhcKGb/s-l1600.jpg[/FIMG]

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, sure if none of you have yet fallen for the film, let me save you the trouble.



It has the same problem as a lot of Amazon programming in that they have the money for big-name stars and quality production values, but the direction seems tone deaf and unsure of what tone to put forward. In fact, it seems utterly unaware that there is such a thing as tone.



This guy is a celebrated illustrator of cats. His life is full of tragedy and mental illness — both his own and his family's but since he's a Cumberbatch character, he has no coping mechanisms, and really no social skills at all. I'd go further to say that he has no life skills whatsoever, and no guile, but hey, he's a rapid-fire ambidextrous illustrator, and that's not nothing.



He uses his modest skill to take care of a family full of unmarried sisters, and makes terrible business decisions as the family's social class tumbles down decade by decade, followed by their reputations, health, and wellness. His scandalous marriage is to a family governess 10 years his senior, but she's of course played by a woman 10 years his junior. So they can bowdlerize that, but they can't hit you enough with the mental breakdowns and cancer.



Also, they do something I'm afraid we'll see more of in the coming years — in that they feature actors from racially diverse backgrounds (Black, South Asian, Oriental), happily and unremarkably integrated as equals into the late Victorian/early Edwardian society as if that's the way it had always been. We can't acknowledge that the people of different backgrounds did not live easily as social equals, but ... cancer-cancer-schizophrenia-schizophrenia. That's all good. With extra helpings of cancer and schizophrenia.



Weird, but not in a good way.



But ... cats. Sort of. The marketing will promise you whimsy, but I never felt the whim.