Looking for Eric

Colour, 35 mm
United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, 2009, 117 min
Section: Open Eyes

Synopsis

What happens when Eric Cantona gets down from a poster to help his namesake out of a depression? Ken Loach tells us just that in the story of a postman who’s got himself into a crisis and can’t find his way out. His two stepsons are causing him trouble, his daughter is continually having a go at him, and he has to cope with everything on his own. Not even Eric’s friends can drive away his gloom. And so, one day, he turns to the idol of all Manchester United fans, a life-size poster of whom graces the wall of his room. Eric Cantona himself approached Ken Loach with the story and an offer to share in the film’s production. And since the well-known filmmaker and his regular screenwriter Paul Laverty needed time out after two challenging films in recent years, they welcomed the chance to remain in a grass roots environment, but to view it with kindly humour without the severely reprehensive tone of social criticism. They set the tale of Eric Bishop in Manchester itself and assigned the majority of the roles to local fans of the famous football club. The actor playing the central character, Steve Evets, couldn’t believe his luck when he found out that his co-star in the film was the real Eric Cantona; and one has to admit that the football star not only has terrific charisma, but true acting talent as well.

About the director

Ken Loach (b. 1936, Nuneaton) studied law at university, spent a brief spell in the theatre, and was recruited in 1963 by the BBC as a trainee television director. He made a huge impact with his TV play Cathy Come Home (1966), and his first two feature films, Poor Cow (1967) and Kes (winner of the Crystal Globe at the KV IFF in 1969). Loach spent the next two decades working in television and making poorly distributed feature films before Riff-Raff (1990) occasioned a gear shift, with a string of exceptionally powerful, award-winning cinema releases, including Hidden Agenda (1990), Raining Stones (1993), Land and Freedom (1995), My Name Is Joe (1998), Sweet Sixteen (2002), Ae Fond Kiss (2004), The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) and It’s a Free World (2007). Loach’s films have garnered numerous nominations and prizes at all the major international film festivals, including Cannes, Venice and Berlin, and at Britain’s BAFTA Awards.