For over forty years British director Ken Loach has been crafting film and television drama that puts the spotlight on pressing social issues. His latest work, Looking For Eric, finds him in unusually light-hearted mood although this story of a football-obsessed postman (Steve Evets) on the verge of a nervous breakdown also deals with the recent proliferation of violent teenage gangs. Manchester United's favourite son, Eric Cantona, is the man who steps up to help the beleaguered postie, also named Eric, when his step-sons are roped into this culture of drugs and violence (albeit appearing through a haze of pot smoke…). 
Steve Evets (centre) and his fellow Man Utd-supporting postmen.
In a trippy turn of real-life events, it was Cantona who made the call to Loach with an idea about a crazed fan whose life falls apart as his obsession grows, but this would only be the springboard for a much deeper examination of the way community spirit helps one man overcome his personal hardships. Loach teamed up with frequent collaborators, writer Paul Laverty and producer Rebecca O'Brien, and developed the story to that end. Cantona would of course play himself, but it was important to the director that the rest of the cast be genuine Mancunians. Steve Evets (recently seen in Summer) fit the bill and was also praised by Loach for what he calls his ability to be "funny, but not in a way that he's playing comedy." Loach and Evets chat to BBC Film Network about striking the balance between comedy and social commentary, working on the streets of Manchester and what Eric Cantona is really like.
