June 9, 2009
For my undergraduate dissertation, I wrote 20,000 average yet quite pretentious words on Ken Loach’s use of realism, watching his early films such as Up the Junction and Cathy Come Home. I generally failed to mention that these so-called ‘kitchen sink’ dramas, though forming a new wave of experimental cinema with politically important subject matter, were pretty difficult to enjoy. Loach has made a career of directing the sorts of films which someone should be making, but that rarely fill you with hope. Even Kes, an adaptation of Barry Hines’ wonderful novel A Kestrel for a Knave, is a heartbreaking tale of misunderstood youth that ends with bleak violence and little to cling to. Loach fights the good fight, dealing with social issues that need dealing with - but ‘feel-good’ they are not.
Whilst writing that dissertation in a haze of indie angst, my football team was mourning the loss of our talisman, a certain E. Cantona. He’d also decided to take a different route to doing the right thing, namely launching himself at an obnoxious thug who’d given him a bit too much xenophobic lip. 15 years later, Loach and Cantona – an incongruous couple if ever there was one - are now working together. And in Looking For Eric they combine to produce one of the most warm-hearted and funny British films that I’ve seen in years. If you thought British cinema lost its plot with Mike Leigh’s irritating and rudderless Happy Go Lucky, this is a rejuvenation of the social realist genre – there is wit, tragedy and a celebration of humanity. Eric Cantona may resonate hugely with football supporters, particularly those of a certain generation, but through Loach and screenwriter Paul Laverty he becomes a lingua franca in a story that weaves Loach’s familiar concerns - working class culture and solidarity - with a quest for reconciliation and the possibility of personal change. There are no dead kestrels, no babies snatched from screaming mothers. Looking for Eric is life affirming and, at heart, a romantic piece of cinema.
Eric Potter (Steve Evets) is a washed up 50-something postman whose past haunts him. He’s hopeless and self-destructive, estranged from his wife and unable to talk to his crude and frankly scary adolescent stepsons. Fortunately for Eric, however, his hero arrives to save him, Cantona providing the sort of inspirational life coaching over a glass of wine and a joint that he needs. Crucially, whilst the film plays lightly with Cantona’s image as philosopher footballer, it doesn’t ridicule him. Indeed, Cantona’s role is very much a vehicle – almost an extended cameo – through which Laverty’s script can allow the story to develop. And although very much set in urban Manchester and confronting problems of violence and petty crime, this is a humorous and at times very tender film. Potter’s friendships with his postal colleagues, and his willingness to move forward with his relationship with ex-wife Lily (Stephanie Bishop) are his real saviours. Eric Cantona is the mythical visage that pushes him in the right direction, with the odd flick of a bon mot to keep our hero focussed.
The Q&A session after this preview showing, featuring Loach, Cantona, Laverty and Evets, was fascinating, in particular the insights into Loach’s techniques as a director. Evets was unaware, for example, that Cantona was going to be there when they filmed his first scene – his surprise all the more genuine. Loach also ensured that Evets and Bishop watched the filming of the flashback sequences of their younger selves so that they felt a continuity throughout their character’s lifespan, whilst a lot of the funniest dialogue in the film was actually improvised.
This is a genuinely fantastic film, and you certainly don’t have to like football to enjoy it. Ken Loach is a director who has worked with the same technical and creative team throughout his career, and in creating a slightly whimsical variation of his distinctive style, he will find and fulfil a more mainstream audience. There are the usual array of familiar faces from British television, and the acting is pretty faultless throughout. You can really see what all the fuss was about at Cannes, and I may even go see this again (although that may be due to my own worship of Mr Cantona). If your collar isn’t turned up when you go into the cinema, it probably will be when you leave.
Whilst writing that dissertation in a haze of indie angst, my football team was mourning the loss of our talisman, a certain E. Cantona. He’d also decided to take a different route to doing the right thing, namely launching himself at an obnoxious thug who’d given him a bit too much xenophobic lip. 15 years later, Loach and Cantona – an incongruous couple if ever there was one - are now working together. And in Looking For Eric they combine to produce one of the most warm-hearted and funny British films that I’ve seen in years. If you thought British cinema lost its plot with Mike Leigh’s irritating and rudderless Happy Go Lucky, this is a rejuvenation of the social realist genre – there is wit, tragedy and a celebration of humanity. Eric Cantona may resonate hugely with football supporters, particularly those of a certain generation, but through Loach and screenwriter Paul Laverty he becomes a lingua franca in a story that weaves Loach’s familiar concerns - working class culture and solidarity - with a quest for reconciliation and the possibility of personal change. There are no dead kestrels, no babies snatched from screaming mothers. Looking for Eric is life affirming and, at heart, a romantic piece of cinema.
Eric Potter (Steve Evets) is a washed up 50-something postman whose past haunts him. He’s hopeless and self-destructive, estranged from his wife and unable to talk to his crude and frankly scary adolescent stepsons. Fortunately for Eric, however, his hero arrives to save him, Cantona providing the sort of inspirational life coaching over a glass of wine and a joint that he needs. Crucially, whilst the film plays lightly with Cantona’s image as philosopher footballer, it doesn’t ridicule him. Indeed, Cantona’s role is very much a vehicle – almost an extended cameo – through which Laverty’s script can allow the story to develop. And although very much set in urban Manchester and confronting problems of violence and petty crime, this is a humorous and at times very tender film. Potter’s friendships with his postal colleagues, and his willingness to move forward with his relationship with ex-wife Lily (Stephanie Bishop) are his real saviours. Eric Cantona is the mythical visage that pushes him in the right direction, with the odd flick of a bon mot to keep our hero focussed.
The Q&A session after this preview showing, featuring Loach, Cantona, Laverty and Evets, was fascinating, in particular the insights into Loach’s techniques as a director. Evets was unaware, for example, that Cantona was going to be there when they filmed his first scene – his surprise all the more genuine. Loach also ensured that Evets and Bishop watched the filming of the flashback sequences of their younger selves so that they felt a continuity throughout their character’s lifespan, whilst a lot of the funniest dialogue in the film was actually improvised.
This is a genuinely fantastic film, and you certainly don’t have to like football to enjoy it. Ken Loach is a director who has worked with the same technical and creative team throughout his career, and in creating a slightly whimsical variation of his distinctive style, he will find and fulfil a more mainstream audience. There are the usual array of familiar faces from British television, and the acting is pretty faultless throughout. You can really see what all the fuss was about at Cannes, and I may even go see this again (although that may be due to my own worship of Mr Cantona). If your collar isn’t turned up when you go into the cinema, it probably will be when you leave.