Louis Wain

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Posted by besleybean
December 18, 2021 7:29 pm
#1

I couldn't see an existing thread!
Anyhow, just been a lovely interview on BBC Scotland.
It was with the lady who plays' Louis' second sister...
a young Scottish lady, who I am sure was in Sherlock.
Anyhow, she raves about Bemedict and says how great and gracious he is...
 


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Posted by besleybean
January 14, 2022 6:14 am
#2

Well my pal and I saw it last night.
Both of us really enjoyed it.
She is non-Sherlockian and not a huge Benedict fan.
Quite a quirky little film.
Sad and quite moving.


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Posted by Yitzock
March 27, 2022 3:25 pm
#3

I wanted to see this film when it was playing at the Toronto International Film Festival back in September, but the timing for the digital screenings overlapped with a work commitment I had at the time, so I haven't been able to see this until now. So, I finally watched it last night.

I was expecting to like it, but I ended up liking it even more than I expected. The style was different than I would have expected from a biographical film about a figure from the 19th/early 20th century. I really liked the style, I thought it was beautiful. As you said, Besley, it is kind of quirky, in a way that surprised me. The first part of the film had a lot of moments that made me smile or laugh.

I was actually not having the best day, emotionally, yesterday as a result of a couple different sources of stress that happened (they weren't actually a big deal, and even though I was reflecting on them that way at the time, for some reason the combination was getting me very upset). I was feeling quite bad about myself and my mental health issues (mild as they are compared to what some people unfortunately have to deal with). And then we sat down to watch this film after dinner and I found myself connecting with the characters of Louis and Emily a lot. Louis' varying interest, his attempt to fulfill all of them, this sense of sometimes feeling out of place in the world but trying to live in it anyway, finding moments of connection with others. Emily's own quirks and eccentricities. I liked how none of these were really portrayed completely as faults. Mental health is misunderstood in the film by society at large, and is a source of struggle, but found the characters were not portrayed as unlikeable or un-loveable as a result of those things about them that others would find strange. There's tension as a result of these things, but the characters are never seen as bad people, and still have people who love for them and do their best to care for them. I can imagine that the family in real life could have had these struggles and done their best for as long as they could, seeing their relative as a complete person even if greater society didn't. It made me sad for people in the past, but also for people today who still don't have as much understanding as they should even though in some ways understanding of these things have gotten somewhat better.

I'm not going to use spoiler tags, but I can add them later if asked. I also really connected with the scenes following Emily's cancer diagnosis. I'm not sure I've ever mentioned it on this forum, but my mom was diagnosed with cancer about five years ago. Not terminal, fortunately, but a type that never goes away. She's done well so far, but I have also worried about what I'm doing with the time we have left together, scared of what it will be like when she's gone. So, the conversation where Louis tells Emily about that feeling, I felt like I was hearing my own thoughts spoken and realised by him. I thought it touched so perfectly on those feelings.

I also enjoyed all the cats we got to see. My cat passed away at the end of this past year, so even though I already loved cats, I think seeing a cat now feels differently now that I don't have my cat in my life.

So, I guess what I'm saying, is there was a lot in this film that related to my life, in ways I wasn't completely expecting, and I thought it did it in such a beautiful way. I think it's too bad more awards haven't been recognizing this film. I guess the timing of its release could have meant it was overlooked, but I'm glad it at least got a bit of recognition from the BAFTAs. On a lighter note, I thought the age makeup was good. I also think that the makeup for younger Louis was subtle, it took me a while to realize that Benedict was wearing a prosthetic on this nose.



Clueing for looks.
 
Posted by besleybean
March 27, 2022 4:29 pm
#4

I enjoyed it.
I am taking the DVD on holiday with me, to show it to my parents and sister.
We are all cat daft!


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Posted by Liberty
March 27, 2022 8:52 pm
#5

Thank you for the review, Yitzock. I haven't seen the film yet: sounds like I would enjoy it.  I'm sorry about your mom's diagnosis and about losing your cat.  I've lost many pets over the years and it's just awful.  I almost lost my cat last year but he just managed to scrape through, and I honestly don't know how I'll cope when his time comes!  And I hope your mental health issues improve: I'm guessing a lot of us have been through issues with varying degrees of severity and it's all difficult, no matter how mild.  I think you are so right that lack of understanding is not just a thing of the past.  Anyway, thank you, and I will see if I can catch up with the film.

 
Posted by Yitzock
March 28, 2022 7:27 pm
#6

besleybean wrote:

I enjoyed it.
I am taking the DVD on holiday with me, to show it to my parents and sister.
We are all cat daft!

Definitely lots to enjoy if you like cats! Even if the whole movie isn't about them.

Liberty wrote:

Thank you for the review, Yitzock. I haven't seen the film yet: sounds like I would enjoy it.  I'm sorry about your mom's diagnosis and about losing your cat.  I've lost many pets over the years and it's just awful.  I almost lost my cat last year but he just managed to scrape through, and I honestly don't know how I'll cope when his time comes!  And I hope your mental health issues improve: I'm guessing a lot of us have been through issues with varying degrees of severity and it's all difficult, no matter how mild.  I think you are so right that lack of understanding is not just a thing of the past.  Anyway, thank you, and I will see if I can catch up with the film.

Thanks. The next day I already felt better, I was just feeling really bad about how I was feeling and how I was acting, the vicious circle of thoughts that makes me feel guilty for acting a certain way and saying certain things, the guilt of how it makes others around me feel followed by a feeling of unworthiness.

As far as losing a cat goes, I always knew it would be really hard, and for my cat it was especially difficult because she was sick for the last couple of months of her life. For the first few weeks afterwards I cried a lot whenever I thought about her. Now, sometimes I still do, but not as much, even though I still miss her a lot. I have had a lot of dreams about her coming back to life somehow, or finding out she's not actually dead after all because of how much I missed her. We had a couple of incidents when she was younger where she went missing for a whole day and we were worried she was done for, but this was different. I have gotten used to her not  being around anymore, but I think it will be a long time before I ever stop missing her at all.

Last edited by Yitzock (March 28, 2022 7:27 pm)



Clueing for looks.
 


 
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