"Just remember, however hard things get, however much you feel like you're struggling, the world is full of beauty."
It's nice to watch a biopic which feels a little different from the norm. This is largely because Louis Wain was a little different from the norm but the film adds it's own whimsical flair to this.
Louis Wain was a late 19th/early 20th century artist who became well known for his cartoons and paintings of cats. The film opens with him (Benedict Cumberbatch) being the head of the household after the death of his father with five sisters and his mother to support. He quickly falls in love with new governess Emily (Claire Foy) and becomes a full-time illustrator but six months into their married life Emily is diagnosed with terminal breast cancer...
The film's biggest flaw it that it gets into the romance very quickly and has Emily die around the half way mark, meaning the second half of the film is less interesting as Louis finds life more and more difficult. It doesn't recognise when it is most compelling and leaves us wanting far more of Emily and Louis together.
Claire Foy is the star of the show here as she is really excellent as Emily, warm and funny and sells the idea that someone could fall in love with this unusual man. Obviously Cumberbatch is the leading actor and though there's nothing especially wrong with his performance it just feels like just another in his long list of oddball characters.
Louis Wain has often been said to have schizophrenia but there is now some debate about whether that was the case or not. Others have speculated that Wain was probably on the autistic spectrum. This film doesn't ever attempt to diagnose Wain but instead just presents him as who he was, unusual and often disturbed but hugely talented and loving. I think we can often obsess over giving people labels which end up overshadowing their actual personality.
Whilst the film isn't one of the best biopics ever made it is suddenly more interesting than most of them and I think Wain's story was one worth telling, even if it is filled with sadness.
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