Loach finds adoration while looking for Eric
Ken Loach insists he is not as serious as you might think from the catalogue of films on hard-hitting social issues made over a career of more than 40 years. Indeed, Paul Laverty, the writer of several of them including the latest, Looking for Eric, describes him as "mischievous". But it is undoubtedly the case that the acclaim that Loach receives around the world has largely eluded him in his native Britain, where a political consciousness is regarded with no small degree of suspicion and the accusation of worthiness is an insult. Which is why the notion of Looking for Eric - that most unlikely of Loach vehicles, a romantic comedy - becoming his crossover vehicle to the mainstream thrills his friends and fans with delight. Loach, of course, stresses that the narrative of his new film could so easily have turned to tragedy. Yes, it features Eric Cantona, one of the biggest stars to have hit the red carpet in Cannes so far this year. But the lead character, little Eric the postman, is miserably depressed with problematic stepchildren and a gun-owning gangster threatening to topple him over the edge. Yet he is saved from his problems and the ending is positively upbeat. Sitting on a Cannes villa terrace with Loach, Cantona and the rest of the team shortly before they hit the red carpet last night, you could feel their delight. Respect is one thing, but adoration quite another. With Loach now 72, it’s been a long time coming. I hope he will be able to enjoy it.
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