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LIGHT:  
‘Looking for Eric’ is a rough film.

Despite the fantasy element of its story, it is still a fairly gritty northern drama and this is strongly reflected in the way it’s all been put together visually. We view the action through simple, often static shots naturally lit, helping to heighten that all-important sense of realism and complementing the semi-improvised performances.

As a consequence, it could be argued that this is another one of those movies which doesn’t necessarily need the full HD eyeball-melting treatment. I beg to differ, as I will explain at the end of this review.

The transfer itself isn’t that great and much grain abounds throughout. Some of this is surely to do with the style of the film, and the fact that northern working class life doesn’t exactly shimmer with glossy loveliness even at the best of times.

This can’t be the whole of it, however, and it’s ultimately a disappointment to see that this Blu-ray doesn’t really do much more visually than an upscaled standard definition DVD.

VIBRATION:  

Not much to say here. It’s a standard mix of uplifting pop and rock tracks mixed in with an original score from George Fenton (a previous Loach collaborator on ‘The Wind That Shakes The Barley’).

A highlight comes in the form of Cantona himself belting out La Marseillaise on his trumpet from a council flat balcony. It’s not great, in fact it sounds like someone slowly letting the air out of a large French balloon, but it’s entirely in keeping with the charm of the film.

Delivered in both Dolby 5.1 and DTS 5.1, it’s a good enough mix, with minimal hiss and some nice depth.