TRIBUTES AND RETROSPECTIVES
Ken Loach |
© Why Not Productions
Looking for Eric
Ken Loach
2009 - United Kingdom / France / Italy - 1h59
Screenings :
wednesday 24 - 7:30 pm - Pathé - 1
friday 26 - 2:00 pm - Pathé - 1
Manchester postman Eric Bishop is going through a rough patch. Right under his nose, his two stepsons excel in all kinds of petty crime, his daughter criticises him for not being capable, and his love life is a bleak. Despite the cheerful friendship and good humour of his fellow postal workers, who do everything they can to put a smile back on his face, nothing works... One evening, Eric turns to his idol, who seems to be watching him mischievously from the poster on his bedroom wall. What would Manchester United's greatest player do in his situation? Eric is convinced that King Cantona can help him turn his life around...
“A convincing first-time actor, “Canto” has fun poking fun at his media image - wild aphorisms included. Humour is an essential (and often overlooked) element in Ken Loach's filmography, including his bitter and deeply moving social chronicles. But never before has the English director embraced comedy as much as he does in this euphoric film (...).
“Compared to The Wind That Shakes the Barley, the historical fresco about Irish independence, this entertainment may seem minor. But we also love this Loach, the man behind Looks and Smiles and Riff-Raff, when he speaks warmly of what he has always known: people of little means, working-class neighbourhoods in the UK, laughter and singing in the pub... The last collective scene of Looking for Eric could sum up his entire work. An energetic mix of joy, solidarity and violence. Because optimism does not calm anger.” (Samuel Douhaire; Télérama)
“Compared to The Wind That Shakes the Barley, the historical fresco about Irish independence, this entertainment may seem minor. But we also love this Loach, the man behind Looks and Smiles and Riff-Raff, when he speaks warmly of what he has always known: people of little means, working-class neighbourhoods in the UK, laughter and singing in the pub... The last collective scene of Looking for Eric could sum up his entire work. An energetic mix of joy, solidarity and violence. Because optimism does not calm anger.” (Samuel Douhaire; Télérama)
CAST AND CREW
Cast : Steve Evets, Éric Cantona, Stephanie Bishop, Gerard Kearns, Stefan Gumbs, Lucy-Jo Hudson
Screenplay : Paul Laverty
Cinematography : Barry Ackroyd
Editing : Jonathan Morris
Music : George Fenton
Production : Canto Bros., Sixteen Films, Why Not Productions, Wild Bunch, Film4
French distributor : Why not productions