British actor Benedict Cumberbatch plays a puppeteer who descends into schizophrenia, drugs and alcohol. He is masterful in the mini-series “Eric”, a hit on Netflix since May 31.
Benedict Cumberbatch, the brilliant mathematician Turing in “Imitation Game”, the arrogant Doctor Strange in the Marvel family, the Sherlock Holmes of the series also available on Netflix, to name only these references in the massive filmography of the British actor, moves as rarely in “Eric”. He masterfully plays a father who descends into schizophrenia, alcohol, drugs and despair, in search of his missing child.
Edgar (Ivan Morris Howe) is nine years old. A solitary child, he likes to draw and tell stories about monsters hidden under his bed. He takes refuge in his world to escape the cries of his parents, who are torn apart before his eyes. If his mother Cassie (Gaby Hoffmann) is never shy of a hug, his father Vincent (Benedict Cumberbatch), just as loving, but navel-gazing, remains more concerned with his work and his success. Vincent is a genius puppeteer who lets his imagination run wild with his team in the hit show “Good Day, Sunshine!” acclaimed by the cherubim. It shows them a caring world where camaraderie and tolerance contrast with reality.
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The day after an argument between his parents, more heated than the others, Edgar sulks and, without waiting for his father to accompany him, heads to school alone. From this moment on, he will no longer give any sign of life. The investigation begins at the missing persons service. Former vice squad, gay African-American inspector Michael Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III) is floundering.
New York in the 1980s
Everyone is floundering anyway in New York in the 1980s, this New York where corruption reigns everywhere, at town hall, in the police stations, this New York where many homeless people live underground in abandoned and unsanitary subway corridors. , this New York where the trash piles up, this New York where The Lux nightclub allows those in the know to live their lives. Beyond the disappearance of Edgar, the series draws its strength above all from the description of this city where homophobia, systemic racism, corruption, pimping, pedophilia, social tensions are legion.
In this anxiety-provoking environment, devoured by his addictions, Vincent the puppeteer loses the thread and sinks into precariousness. The cold he maintains with his wealthy parents turns to ice, while an imaginary monster sticks to him, a ball of hair with long teeth which pushes him into a corner, making him face his faults and his guilt. This inner monster with whom he battles is the incarnation of Eric, a puppet imagined by his son. Vincent dreams of putting it on the screen so that Edgar can see it and come home. Because, he is convinced, his child is still alive.
Over the course of the episodes, the series gains momentum while beyond the decrepitude of this anti-hero, the story focuses on secondary characters with equally shattering destinies. Because “Eric” plays on several registers with rare skill, because the brilliantly knitted scenario alternates thriller, family and human drama, because at the end of the road a glimmer of hope could sparkle, “Eric” is undoubtedly the mini-series to watch right now on Netflix.
Philippe Congiusti/ms
“Eric” by Abi Morgan, with Benedict Cumberbatch, Gaby Hoffmann, Jeff Hephner. Six episodes to watch on Netflix since May 30, 2024
