Eric Cantona and Steve Evets star in Ken Loach's Looking for Eric.Going postal
By Ed Rampell
The AFI Fest often premieres hard to see but nevertheless worthy films for Los Angelenos, such as Ken Loach’s stellar, stirring Looking For Eric.
In the past this great progressive British helmer has directed explicitly political features, such as 1995’s Spanish Civil War classic Land and Freedom, 1996’s pro-Sandinista Carla’s Song, 2000’s L.A.-set, pro-union Bread and Roses, 2006’s Irish Revolution drama The Wind That Shakes the Barley, etc. He has also placed working class life under the movie magnifying glass in films such as 1998’s My Name is Joe.
Looking For Eric combines both Loach trends – with a dose of magical realism. The title character refers to Eric Bishop, a washed-up mailman (Steve Evets) subject to panic attacks and Eric Cantona, the real life soccer player who – like Humphrey Bogart in Woody Allen’s 1972 Play It Again, Sam – appears to advise the proletarian protagonist on how to be heroic and play it cool.
The ending to this World Cinema selection is a thinly veiled socialist solution, as mass unity and action intervene, with a mob of mailman and other UK workers singing "La Marseillaise," taking matters into their own plebian hands and going postal. The rousing finale may be a reference to Bertolt Brecht’s athletic socialist clubs in the newly re-released German classic, Kuhle Wampe. Of course, in the best tradition of Wilhelm Reich, the mass action also gives Eric the confidence to finally – after 30 freakin’ years – get the girl (Stephanie Bishop). Bravo, Loach!
(Looking For Eric is scheduled to screen Nov. 5, 7 p.m., at Mann Chinese Theater 1, 6801 Hollywood Blvd. For more information: 866/AFI-FEST; www.afi.com.)
