Looking for Eric - a fairy tale about brotherhood

Football at the Movies

It used to be a truth universally acknowledged that any film with football in it would be about as entertaining as watching Gillingham draw 0-0. However, following The Damned United, Looking for Eric is the second worthwhile football film in just a few months. Again, it has an appeal beyond viewers of Match of the Day and collectors of sticker albums. Of course, neither film is really about kicking a round ball into a net for ninety minutes. Instead, Looking For Eric is a working-class fairytale about the importance of community and brotherhood. Although imperfect, the film is thoroughly entertaining with a number of memorable moments.

'It was a pass'

The film centres around the character of 'Little Eric' Bishop (Steve Evets), a football mad postal worker whose life has fallen apart. His two step-sons show him no respect, using his house as a squat, while he cannot even bear to face the only woman he loves, his ex-wife. The turning point comes when Bishop's hero, the charismatic Manchester United legend Eric Cantona (famed for his talent, upturned collar and kung-fu kick of a supporter) 'appears' in his in front room. From this point onwards, Cantona becomes Bishop's imaginary life-coach, inspiring him to sort out his own life and the lives of those he loves.

At first, Bishop assumes his cocky Gallic idol has had an easy existence with no need of anyone else. However, as the film makes clear, Cantona could not have been a success in football without his fellow players and without the fans. Perhaps the most important part of the film occurs when Cantona is asked his greatest moment in football. He selects not one of his many goals but a pass to a team-mate. Rather than simply obtaining glory for himself, his greatest moment was through helping another.

I am Eric Cantona

The director of the film is Ken Loach probably best known for classic TV drama 'Cathy Come Home' and literary adaptation 'Kes'. Loach is well known for his social realist style which often reflects his own socialist beliefs. Looking for Eric is no different, featuring a group of friends from a postal sorting office. In the end, it is they, rather than just football star Cantona that become the heroes. Towards the climax of the film all the friends don Cantona masks to help 'Little Eric' protect his family - they all become Cantonas, all one big team helping each other just as Cantona was just one player in Manchester United football team.

The Religion of Football?

From a Christian perspective, it would be easy to see Looking For Eric as demonstration of how football has become an idol in our society. Little Eric admits the last time he was truly happy was at the last football match he saw while his fellow supporters chant, 'What a friend we have in Jesus, and his name is Cantona'. One might even read the appearance of Cantona as a type of religious experience. While the cast sometimes use Christ's name casually, Cantona's is spoken with reverence and awe. However, the film also demonstrates positive aspects of football culture from its portrayal of its skill and beauty of the game to the kinship between supporters.

Brotherly love

The moral of Looking for Eric, which underlines the importance of brotherly love, has much to be applauded (even if the eventual way it is demonstrated cannot be). Although the message of the film is inspired by socialist humanism not the good news, the selfless love and support seen in 'Little Eric's' fellow postal workers should be found in our own churches. True glory is found in putting others first, as Christ became our slave at the cross. The unconvincing 'fairytale ending' of the film reminds us that only through Christ can we be fully reconciled to one other.

Questions for discussion and reflection

• In what ways has sport become an alternative to church?
• Why do some men feel more accepted at a football match than they would in a church service?
• How can churches increase their appeal to men?

- John Dray, July 2009