La vie extraordinaire de Louis Wain

Some films can firmly claim to be one-of-a-kind, such as; 'The Life of Pi', then there's this one, about a painter I had not heard of from the late eighteen hundreds. Louis was a tortured fellow bordering on several psychotic spectrums while being extremely gifted in the arts, etc - leaving behind his remarkable (and much copied) Cat paintings that took the era by storm. Its style is dazzling all the way, and impresses on many levels - it starts off with a rather convoluted opening, that may not suit viewers with a short attention span or an impatience for understanding what drives a character's actions.

This is a fact-based story running the gamut of human emotions - seeking to open doorways into the lives of troubled souls who existed during unsympathetic, and rather medically ignorant times (think also of Van Gogh). Production design, performances, cinematography and, music are exemplary, leaving patient audiences with a unique and precious gift.

Director, co-writer, Japanese/English Will Sharp is no stranger to Bipolar disorders being type 11, and injects powerful understandings into Louis's character. Will's brother, Arthur Sharp, imparts wonderful emotional support supplying a stand-out Theremin based music score. Story writer Simon Stephenson has created a rich human experience giving us much to feel and think about (perhaps there's also a nod to Australian pop artist Martin Sharp here).

One aspect that created a little disappointment was the decision to photograph in a variation of the old 4 x 3 frame. It added nothing to the story, in fact gave the film a cramped, claustrophobic feel, that can be better achieved in production design. Modern movie makers sometimes, mistakenly, think they need to go backward - away from the vast improvements in aspect ratios, this can sacrifice vital elements within their work. The end credits were neat but why so small? Otherwise, it's quite a special experience from Studio Canal and Amazon Studios.

Benedict Cumberbatch is Louis Wain, the Victorian cat illustrator, in "The Electrical Life of Louis Wain."

This is really a lovely film. Wain, who lives with his five sisters and mother, is flighty. As a result, his sister Caroline (Andrea Risborough) is in charge of the family and sets about to hire a governess, Emily (Claire Foy).

Louis has a million things going on in his head, some of which don't make much sense. He certainly can draw, though. He's also very busy inventing and actually composes an opera ("this isn't really even music," he's told).

When he meets Emily, however, Louis takes on a new interest. She is ten years older than he, and they are of different social standings. Nevertheless, they fall in love and marry. Unfortunately, she is diagnosed with terminal breast cancer not long after.

One day they find a kitten in the rain and name it Peter. Peter gives Emily much comfort during her illness, and Louis begins to draw him. Thus begins his cat illustrations, which bring him success.

Historians believe Louis was schizophrenic and that his advancing illness can be seen in his drawings, which become hallucinogenic later on in his career. He is eventually sent to a state institution, but his fans, including H. G. Wells, raise money to have him sent to more comfortable surroundings, where he lives out his life.

Benedict Cumberbatch - the arrogant genius of Sherlock, the cruel, repressed cowboy in The Power of the Dog, the tortured agent in The Courier, the brilliant Alan Turing, the unstable alcoholic of Patrick Melrose, here adds another brilliant performance to his resume. Passionate, loving, and gentle, whimsical, becoming more and more erratic as time goes on.

Some argue that Wain comes off as too crazy here, and yet others think he is more whimsical and wonder if it wouldn't be more dramatic if his descent into madness had been shown more. Nevertheless, the film has much beauty and many good scenes in it.

It's one of those quirky English stories. Well told and narrated and just a very nice, honest and interesting stories about someone who was different.

I have to give this film credit as it does get many things "right" about Mr. Wain's life, which is rare in modern "true" films, but not everything, and maybe not the "most" important part of the film.

Wain wasn't "crazy", today many experts agree he was likely autistic in a world that didn't "understand" autism. Look it up, please.

He was thought to be psychotic late in life, but his creativity didn't diminish in those later years, it flourished. Historically speaking, psychiatric patients who are diagnosed with serious mental illness generally "lose" their artistic talents. Wain never did.

What "is" true from the film is that Wain dearly loved his wife, as portrayed, and he changed the way the world looked at cats, and I'm grateful he did.

I may be doing the movie a bit of a disservice mentioning that other movie that came out a few years ahead of this. Which also has nothing to do with this movie ... apart from this having cats in it too. Although in this case, the cats are ... well mostly just that: cats! And not people CGIed as cats.

I probably shouldn't be explaining too much, I reckon if you have seen the movie you'll get the joke. And if you don't want to watch it ... well you'll be missing out on an amazing performance by Benedict Cumberbatch! That Dude is really something ... I saw an interview with him a while ago ... he really takes his craft seriously ... and yet always injects fun into the making of the movies he is in. Like skateboarding while being dressed as Dr. Strange.

I can only imagine what he did on the set of this movie. With so many talented other actors surrounding him - many of them being female (and part of the family of the character he portrays). I am not aware of the actual Louis Wain, but he seems to have had a rough life. Not sure how many liberties or how big the liberties are that the movie is taking, but it makes up for a coherent piece of storytelling. And what more can one ask for?