Published 29 September 200929 September 2009 · Main Posts looking for ken Karen Pickering ken loach movies are not normally laugh-a-minute. of course, they can be funny [usually in a dry way] but they can also be harrowing and maudlin and slightly soul-destroying.* not this one. looking for eric does feature the man-god philosopher king cantona, and is cut throughout with footage of man u in its glory days with cantona in his rightful place as the secular saint of manchester. but the eric of the title is a more conventional loach hero – an ordinary man whose goodness is neither inscribed by his class nor compromised because of it. it’s not a wholly romantic bit of social realism, as the characters face some of the storied challenges of poverty and its power to limit opportunity. it is magic realism with the deftest of touch, so perhaps too whimsical for those like their loach gut-wrenching and heart-stopping in equal measure. i like that loach too but i loved this film. you don’t have to be a football fan either [i’m not] to be affected by the role it plays in the life of the protagonist. many a sports film has equated love of sport with a yearning for self-respect, belonging, tribe, and excellence, and this movie does lean heavily on the “football is life” metaphor. ultimately, teamwork, trust and willingness to risk everything for success/love/peace is the message we take with us. cantona is magnificently lowkey throughout and that’s why it works. nobody needs to see one of the greatest footballers who ever lived popping into frame like jiminy cricket meets tony robbins. and yes, it includes themes of family breakdown, intergenerational social mobility, masculinity and the working class, the ubiquity of violence and the attraction of crime, and some good-old fashioned self-sabotage. but it’s also fucking hilarious and if you’re not a little bit moved by its sweetness and charm and humour then you probably have a lump of coal where your heart should be. p.s. be sure to stay and watch the credits for a special treat. * i am still not over the wind that shakes the barley. Karen Pickering More by Karen Pickering › Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays First published in Overland Issue 228 28 March 202428 March 2024 · Main Posts Why we should value not only lived experience, but also lived expertise Sukhmani Khorana In the wake of this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, I want to extend the central idea of El Gibbs’s 2022 essay on 'lived expertise' and argue that in media accounts of racism, analytical expertise and lived experience ought to be valued together and even in the same body. First published in Overland Issue 228 5 March 2024 · Main Posts Andrew Charlton’s school assignment Alex McKinnon Australia's Pivot to India exists for three reasons: so that when Andrew Charlton is interviewed on the radio or introduced on Q+A, his bio includes the phrase "he has written a book about Indian-Australian relations"; to fend off accusations that he is another Kristina Keneally engaging in electoral colonialism in western Sydney; and to help the Albanese government strengthen economic and military ties with Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.