“I made the decision not to make it a scientific film – I wanted to show what it’s like for a family to go through this”: Marie Lidén on Electric Malady

Perhaps on paper, a feature-length documentary focused on a reclusive individual whose face we are unable to see unless in flashback, might not immediately sound like compelling viewing. But Marie Lidén’s BAFTA-nominated Electric Malady brings much delicacy and empathy to the portrayal of her subject, a man called William who suffers from a condition called electrosensitivity. He lives in confinement in a cabin away from civilisation in Sweden, in darkness created by thick copper-lined sheets to prevent the chronic headaches caused by the electrical radiation that emanates from all angles in our technology-driven world. Lidén seeks to know and understand William with patience and without judgement, a hand-cranked Bolex camera capturing their interactions.

While much controversy surrounds the very existence of the condition, the film does not seek to convince its audience either way but rather to give voice and bear witness to William’s story and suffering, as well as the extraordinary compassion of his family. By humanising his tale, black-and-white ideas of science fall away to reveal how we all need love, care and affection, the toll loneliness can take on mental health, and the need for society to have more knowledge and understanding of hidden illnesses.

The Upcoming had the pleasure of speaking with Lidén about how her mother’s experience with electrosensitivity was the initial inspiration for a film, which then evolved to follow William and his family, the long journey to making the doc and the difficulty of making a feature about a controversial topic. We also discussed how the hard-to-watch moments of loneliness and depression are balanced by the uplifting ones showing the love and dedication of his family, plus what it means to her for audiences to connect with the story and to be nominated for a BAFTA for Outstanding British Debut.

Sarah Bradbury

Electric Malady is released in cinemas on 3^rd March 2023 and on-demand on 4^th April 2023. Read our review here.

Watch the trailer for Electric Malady here: