Best of the year list

37. The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
On paper, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, Will Sharpe’s idiosyncratic biopic chronicling the titular artist, shouldn’t work. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, in a performance that very nearly matches, in terms of quality, his hypnotic turn in The Power of the Dog, Louis Wain is a story about loneliness and cats, and the impact true love can hold over both. Very few people in Louis’ life understand him. That is, until he meets his family’s governess, an equally sensitive Emily (Claire Foy). The pair marry, and much to the chagrin of others, begin adopting cats, making a picturesque life for themselves until tragedy strikes, causing Louis to use his distinctive art to delve deeper into his fascination with cats. Sharpe takes plenty of visual swings to demonstrate the various ways the memory of Emily haunts Louis by fashioning prismatic compositions and fantastical dream sequences filled with cat people. He also offers adorable inner-kitten-dialogue that provide a lightness to the film’s crushing sorrow. You can feel Sharpe’s intense connection to this character, probably more than any other director to any other character this year. Sharpe is Louis Wain.