The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain (2021)

Moving from the 1881 through to 1939, the true story of the eccentric British artist Louis Wain (Benedict Cumberbatch) who helped transform the public's perception of cats forever by the anthropomorphism of felines in his paintings and drawings. Directed by actor (THE WHITE LOTUS) turned director Will Sharpe. An uneven film that treads on all too familiar territory regarding emotionally and mentally unstable artists. The film is fortunate to have Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role as he brings some much needed empathy that stabilizes the movie's rocky voyage. Of course, as a cat lover I loved the cat sequences and the film's end titles using Wain's actual feline portraiture are pure bliss. While I enjoyed it well enough, I wish it were a better movie. With Claire Foy, Andrea Riseborough, Toby Jones, Taika Waititi, Adeel Akhtar and as the film's narrator, Olivia Colman.