https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001fhl5/surge
I watch lots of films. I guess it’s a way of turning off my mind. A passive acquiescence. But I found Surge, claustrophobic. The plots of most stories are quite simple. Make it hard for the protagonist. And I’m not going to go into that thing of there only being seven basic types. Joseph (Ben Whishaw of This is Going to Hurt) has a shitty job. He works in security at a London airport. He goes home, comes back and does the same things every day. It’s his birthday. That too is part of the routine. It’s all there on his face. He hates his job and he hates his life. Nobody cares about him, even his mum and dad are unsympathetic characters.
Joseph has a meltdown. He rebels against the mundane life that is killing his spirit. In trying to make things better, his mental health gets worse. Mad, bad or sad? As he gets madder, the viewer (me) gets sadder, because good writing demand that these kinds of things could happen, do happen. I’ve seen them happen many times.
Bob, for example, trying too hard to be normal. And being sent to prison in Greenock for six months for carrying an offensive weapon, a scrim, for cleaning windows. He was completely bonkers. As bonkers as Joseph is here. Makes you think. At least he didn’t rob a bank.
odonnellgrunting 