Looking for Eric
Director: Ken Loach
3 October 2023
See
Him: Eric Bishop’s (Steve Evets) life is coming undone. His second wife has left him. He’s unfulfilled with his job as a post man. His sons don’t respect him. When his daughter asks him for a favour he can’t help and gets in a car crash. Eric’s friends fellow Manchester United supporters, try to help and read about visualising your heroes. And so Eric Cantanona appears, as his fairy godmother.
Her: Eric Bishop is a retiring postman, who’s been experiencing the down period of his life for a while. He left his wife after she got pregnant with their daughter over 20 year ago, one of his two step sons is involved in a drug gang (by storing the guns in their apartment). Eric is a member of the local Manchester United fan club, but doesn’t really socialise otherwise. He’s best friend is imaginary: it’s Eric Cantona who every now and then comes out of the poster on the wall to council Eric and help him with his life dilemmas.
Think
Him: You should never meet your heroes. Unless your hero is Eric Cantona. Despite not watching or playing football myself since I was a teenager, there’s an interview with him I like to watch.
I remember the commercial of an all-star soccer game in hell and the climax being a winged devil in goal and Cantona popping his collar and saying ‘au revoir’ before kicking the goal through its stomach.
Yet it’s Ken Loach who made this story relatable for me. He’s been a chronicler of working class British issues for decades. I remember watching The Wind that Shakes the Barley as my first exposure to The Troubles in Ireland, and seeing The Angel’s Share at Sydney Film Festival. I want to watch his more recent Jimmy’s Hall. Krzystof Kieslowski’s work has been compared to Loach’s but the difference here is the feel good aspect means people won’t look away from the people that are rough round the edges.
Her: It’s a very British film with a very British plot and characters and humour. It is also a very male story about something I cannot relate to much never have being interested in soccer, nor having soccer fans amongst my close friends and lastly, I’ve never in heard about Eric Cantona before this film. But it was interesting to watch and appreciate the darkness of the British humour.
Feel
Him: I thought Cantona’s aphorisms and translating from French would be my favourite parts, but it’s the former footballers performance as himself that’s actually impressive acting. Best of all Cantona doesn’t just tell Eric what to do. He’s a compassionate listener who then goes and does it with him, like going and putting the exercise regimen into practice for their self-care. Not only did it help Eric Bishop, but it also showed Eric Cantona as someone with a second act as an actor that is even more compelling to watch than the footage of him on the field.
Her: Although the story is set in late 00s it feels very 90s to me for some reason. My favourite storylines were the ones between Eric and his wife and daughter, with their clumsiness which felt very real. Eric Bishop is a classic fool and looser who one day becomes a hero not without help from his namesake idol Eric Cantona. I also really liked the lack of violence substituted by the humour and the climax scene it was an unexpected twist. The happy ending also didn’t feel to saccharine because of the way it was directed and performed. Overall, I’d give it 3/5 .
