Benedict Cumberbatch in new film as cat artist Louis Waine

Benedict Cumberbatch (45) was just hoping for an Oscar as a homosexual cowboy in “The Power of the Dog” (in vain). Meanwhile, his second solo film as the Marvel magician “Dr. Strange”, which ends up in the “Multiverse of Madness” at the beginning of May. In between, however, there was a film that could easily be overlooked with the current output of the “Sherlock” star.

On April 21, the drama “The wondrous world of Louis Wain” about the 19th-century British artist of the same name starts. Cumberbatch also has to deal with madness and lots of cats in this one.

Artist Louis Wain (Benedict Cumberbatch) is as talented as he is eccentric. He was the only man in a household with his mother and five sisters. It was up to him to earn the bread and butter for the family and, ideally, to marry a rich lady. He is not at all interested in marriage and instead of a real job, Wain prefers to draw animals – mainly cats.

In both matters, a rethinking of Wain should take place within a very short time. Because the publisher of the Illustrated London News (Toby Jones, 55) finds great pleasure in his whimsical, anthropomorphic cat figures. It gives him the chance to pursue his passion full-time.

And then he falls head over heels in love with the governess Emily Richardson (Claire Foy, 38). But this should actually grab his sisters in the household under the arms. But not only because of the difference in status between the two, love is under a bad star.

Watching the film, it may seem incredible. However, the film by director Will Sharpe (35) sticks closely to the actual life of the real Louis Wain. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking.

The word “miraculous” didn’t make it into the German film title without good reason. This includes situation comedy to stroke of fate, love to madness. A surprising story that sometimes seems as contradictory as the behavior of the velvet paws.

Anyone who speculates on thematically uniform film fare will experience their blue miracle with “The wondrous world of Louis Wain”. One facet of the film could therefore be seen as too sentimental, the other as too silly.

Viewers got into a very similar dispute with the film “Tesla”. The film was directed by Michael Almereyda (63) and Ethan Hawke (51) in the title role as Nikola Tesla. Here, too, the motto applied: an extraordinary film must be dedicated to an extraordinary man.

Both films tell the story of a long-unrecognized 19th-century genius whose own psyche is increasingly getting in the way. In addition to an opulent historical look, both films rely on experimental narrative structure and optics. And in both, sooner or later, the main characters babble about electricity.

Incidentally, Cumberbatch already did this in “Edison – A Life Full of Light”. At that time as Tesla’s greatest adversary Thomas Edison – so the (electrical) circle closes.

The Wondrous World of Louis Wain works best when Cumberbatch and Foy play together. The love between her characters is touching but not shown in a corny way and is the tragic highlight of the drama. In addition to the two, the well-known cast is overshadowed, but once again it can be described as wondrous.

“Life without a pug is possible, but pointless,” Loriot once mused. Benedict Cumberbatch now proves with “The wondrous world of Louis Wain”: A life with a cat is many things, but always unusual.

A Taika Waititi (46) appears for a sentence, musician Nick Cave (64) embodies writer HG Wells and Oscar winner Olivia Colman (48) is only part of the party as an off-narrator. A circumstance of which the German audience unfortunately has little.

Anyone who expected a classic biopic about the artist Louis Wain will quickly be taught otherwise. Although the film takes little liberties with the story, it takes even more liberties with the way it is told. That surprises and offends at the same time. “The wondrous world of Louis Wain” is unpredictable – as cats are.