The Real Meaning Of The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain's Title Explained
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain’s title might lead a viewer to think they will be embarking on a journey of discovery about electricity, but the real meaning of the title is something else entirely. The Amazon Original film is directed by Will Sharpe and garnered four nominations at the British Independent Film Awards this past December, winning one. With an electrifying lead performance by Benedict Cumberbatch (the MCU’s Doctor Strange) as Louis Wain, the film will likely see more nominations and awards to come.
Set in Victorian England, Louis Wain is an artist and the only man in his family of five sisters and an elderly mother. In an effort to provide for the household, Louis takes a job as an illustrator for the London Illustrated Times and befriends Sir William (played by Toby Jones), who'll turn out to be his singular (human) friend in the film. Louis falls in love with the family’s governess, and the pair wed only for her to fall ill with cancer shortly after. It is the couple’s cat, Peter, who brings inspiration and comfort to Louis following the death of his wife, Emily (played by The Crown’s Claire Foy), and sparks Louis’ life-long admiration of the animal.
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The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is based on a true story and is fiercely accurate in its depiction of Louis’ life. A talented illustrator, Wain chose to focus his art on the feline population, and his colorful, often psychedelic drawings of cats drove his success. Wain was quite famous for his cat art by the 1800s. But, as the film shows, he was quite impractical with his earnings. The artist was declared «insane» in 1924 and institutionalized before a fan of his work
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