TELLURIDE – If you’re a cat lover, as I admittedly am, it almost goes without saying that a feline-themed film should pique your interest. And when it comes to a prestige biopic about influential artist Louis Wain, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, Andrea Riseborough, and Toby Jones? Well, in theory, those elements should combine into a delectable portion of cinephile catnip. Unfortunately, “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain,” which had its world premiere at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival, is a misfire that even a plethora of adorable kitten co-stars can’t save.
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Directed and co-written by heralded British filmmaker Will Sharpe, ‘Electric Life’ is an almost – and major emphasis on “almost” – a straightforward portrayal of Wain’s life from early adulthood on. Of course, many significant details of Wain’s life are glossed over, but that’s usually the case for biopics. What differentiates it from other films in the genre are Sharpe’s questionable stylistic choices (including bizarrely dated visual effects) that creep into the realm of overbearing distraction. But, hey, there are cute cats, right? Sadly, sometimes even that’s not enough.
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History tells us that Louis Wain (Cumberbatch) was a popular and talented illustrator credited for changing popular opinion regarding cats in the U.K. at the turn of the century. At the age of 20, and following his father’s untimely death, the responsibility of being his family’s primary breadwinner was put on his shoulders. He was from a large clan that included six sisters and a mother who left the raising the girls on his oldest sibling, Caroline (Riseborough, not her finest hour). The family’s place in British society is never properly explained (which makes much of their “problems” confusing), but one of the reasons Louis finds himself hustling is to pay for a governess, Emily (Foy, better than the material), a woman 10 years his senior hired to teach the three youngest children. There are sparks between both Louis and Emily, but the first portion of the film spends much too much time trying to imagine how their love affair came about and Caroline’s horrified response to it.
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The most compelling part of the film is when Emily and Louis get married and move to the countryside to escape the Wain siblings. That’s where they meet Peter, a black and white kitten lost in a rainstorm that becomes an integral part of their lives. This is also when Sir William Ingram (Jones, most welcome nuance), the editor of the popular London publication The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, takes a chance on publishing some cat-themed drawings inspired by Peter. Shortly after, however, Emily is diagnosed with breast cancer. With Peter by their side almost everywhere they go, they try to enjoy life as much as possible before her passing (a scene Sharp somehow finds a way to sap all the emotion out of).
Now a widower, the rest of the film depicts Louis’ exploits as either his schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (a point of contention with modern psychiatrists) begins to slowly affect his mental state. For instance, in this interpretation of his life, Louis begins to see people with cats on their heads, whether in London or during his two-year stint in America. He also becomes increasingly delusional over his fear of drowning at sea, a nightmare that has haunted him since he was a child.
Many historians have noted that Wain’s psychological issues took a turn for the worse after Emily’s death. Still, it’s unclear it deteriorated that soon (his family didn’t commit him to a hospital until 37 years after she died). Because Sharpe and screenwriter Simon Stephensen decide to introduce these visions so early, much of the film’s second half comes across as an extended dream sequence, even when depicting “real life” events. You can certainly respect Sharpe for taking a big swing in this regard, but he can’t bring the proceedings back to earth when the audience needs some sort of emotional investment. This also ends up hampering Cumberbatch, who is giving one of the most committed performances of his life, but only to find it buried under all of the film’s extracurricular aspects.
But, yes, there are lots of cats and pictures of cats. And for a moment (or two), they are adorable. [C]
Follow along with our full coverage from the 2021 Telluride Film Festival here.
“The Electrical Life of Louis Wain” will open in theaters on Oct. 22 and launch on Amazon Prime Video on Nov. 5.
