The Electrical Life of Louis Wain Movie Review

I had heard the term the “Louis Wain Cat” before but had no idea what it meant. Having had no genuine interest in cats until later in life when I got one for my child, I never dove into anything about the mousers. I instead believed that they were more vicious where dogs were more sweet.

Interestingly, this point is made in this film. Claire Foy, who plays Emily Richardson-Wain, Louis’ wife, tells Louis (Cumberbatch) that he’s the first to show that cats are silly, cuddly, lonely, brave and frightened, just as humans are. It’s even said that it’ll be common for people to have cats as pets in their homes someday. I guess these two were one of the first to do such a thing. After all, dogs were man’s best friend and preferred to anything else.

Much is made of Louis and Emily’s relationship with their cat, Peter. Peter is a Tuxedo cat, black and white and a bit ordinary looking. That said, to the Wain’s, he was extraordinary. One day in the rain, they happen upon him, scared and alone. They take him in to give him warmth, food and their love. Not long before finding Peter, the couple had troubles from family and the community regarding their courtship, so bringing Peter into their home felt right.

Louis is from a proper family, and she worked as the Wain family governess, looking after the younger siblings. Being their servant, it was gossiped about and frowned upon that they began a relationship. With his father passed on and his mother unable to make decisions on behalf of the family, his sister Caroline (Andrea Riseborough) takes on the responsibilities of the matriarch. She excuses Emily from the duties of being the governess. However, this doesn’t keep her and Louis apart as he simply moves away and takes Emily with him.

In 1881, Louis began to work as an illustrator for Sir William Ingram (Toby Jones). He was the editor for the London News. Louis could draw quickly, from memory, and was quite skilled, but Louis was rather, as Sir William put it, imbecilic. If he was going to work there and provide for the family, sisters, and all, he needed to calm down. Could he? Knowing of his mental illness, schizophrenia, Sir William doubted Louis could be stable enough to hold down a steady job but needed the talent. He hires him at poverty wages just in case it all goes wrong.

With all pieces of the puzzle in place, all was well in Louis and Emily’s life… for six months, that is. She died suddenly of cancer. She did one crucial thing before she left. She prompted and promoted her husband’s love for their cat and all cats in general, sparking in Louis the art we still enjoy today.

After her death, he changes, becomes manic. With this, the film becomes more engrossing from the slow-paced drama we were being treated to. His eccentricities strongly appear in conversations about electricity that he claims we’re all connected to and shouldn’t ignore. He also proclaimed that time has no meaning, is fleeting if we allow it to be. He hypothesized that time should be entirely reversible.

When he begins to show signs of losing his grip on reality, he says to a friend, “Remembering the past is no different than imagining the future, and neither is different to life itself.” He thinks that if he can remember Emily in the future, she’ll be there.

Sir William goes to see Louis and is also shown Louis’ cat sketches. He has been drawing for therapy, clearly. Taking a liking to them, he gives him two pages in the paper to fill for the holidays.

They’re a smash hit, and it doesn’t stop there.

Unfortunately, Louis was never taught about copyright laws. Publishers everywhere were copying his style, making money from his ideas, leaving nothing for him. Sadly, they were also saturating the market. If you look at his work in the later years, as things get more intense in life and harder to manage, the cats get more frenzied and crazier looking, as well.

Cumberbatch just may earn himself a spot for Best Actor during the Academy Awards this year for his performance. Olivia Coleman is very entertaining as the narrator of the film. Her voice puts you in the mood to watch the style of movie this ends up being. The art direction is simply outstanding, and I don’t think that’ll go by unnoticed. In fact, all of the visuals are incredibly impressive, putting this movie in the must-see category, for sure. Is it the best movie of the year? No, but you’ll enjoy it and the work of Louis Wain. Stay during the credits for more from him, especially the portrait of Peter you were no doubt hoping to see.