Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on December 2010

Looking for eric: ©Canto Bros. Productions, Sixteen Films Ltd, Why Not Productions SA, Wild Bunch SA, Channel Four Television Corporation,France 2 Cinema, BIM Distribuzione, Les Films du Fleuve, RTBF (Television belge), Tornasol Films MMIX

Eric Bishop (a spot-on Steve Evets) is a disillusioned middle-aged Manchester postal worker who has inflicted upon himself more than the usual share of life’s hardships. His two teenage stepsons are on the cusp of criminality, and he still feels guilty about the wife he abandoned years ago (Stephanie Bishop). His friends try to cheer him up, but he’s close to suicide. It wasn’t always this way; Eric was once a dashing, promising dancer. When things seem darkest, however, he turns to his confidant and guru, soccer star Eric Cantona (played by Eric Cantona). The legendary Manchester United center forward turns up in Eric’s bedroom from time to time, and they drink a little wine and smoke a little weed (OK, they probably do the weed first). Anyway, imaginary Eric eventually convinces real Eric to give himself a second chance in life, and they embark upon a program of renewal. The film represents a departure for old-school leftist director Ken Loach. The working-class social awareness is there, but there’s also a bit of fantasy and even humor. The ending is chaotic, cathartic and comic.