Surge Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Surge Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 5, 2022

It can be frightening if someone experiencing some kind of mental trauma reaches out for help. It can perhaps be even more frightening if that same person doesn't reach out for help. How you feel about that dialectic may well play into how you respond to Surge, a patently exhausting viewing experience that seeks to take the viewer inside of a mind that is unraveling at an increasing speed. Anchored by an absolutely unforgettable performance by Ben Whishaw, Surge is not an "easy" watch, and it may in fact never really address some of the troubling issues it raises, but as a document of a man experiencing some kind of intense breakdown, it's about as visceral an hour and a half as you likely have spent lately.

A lot of films which have dealt with mental illness or general emotional unrest have sought to depict these tribulations, as if the camera were an objective analyst taking in the situation without comment. It's Surge's most defining element that the film seems built out of the mental and emotional unrest being suffered by Joseph (Ben Whishaw). Stylistic quirks like near Richter scale "shaky cam" and incessant close-ups coupled with an unsettling sound design make the viewer part and parcel of Joseph's deteriorating condition. He begins the film gainfully employed as the British equivalent of a TSA inspector, getting "up close and personal" with passengers and he checks their bodies for any hidden weapons. Even these early interchanges though are fraught with an unbalanced feeling, on the parts of both the passengers (some of whom seem mentally unbalanced themselves) and the rapidly devolving Joseph.

The film offers a bit of context and at least allusions to a back story with some vignettes featuring Joseph's parents, Joyce (Ellie Haddington) and Alan (Ian Gelder), and those who subscribe to the theory that there's a genetic component to mental illness will find a lot to chew on in these scenes. The choice of "chew on" is a deliberate metaphor, since Joseph seems to be OCD and has issues chewing on items he shouldn't, which ultimately leads to a gruesome injury. Further disintegration leads to horrifying but somehow slightly comic interactions with a bed, which Joseph deconstructs so that he can climb inside it, which I'm sure some Freudian would have a field day with.

But there's really no "talking cure" or real remedy of any kind offered here, which leaves Surge kind of sputtering, frankly, an amazing and unsettling series of scenes involving Joseph basically debasing himself as he spirals further and further out of control, but without any really clear through line or narrative thrust. This is a film which may well become a "must see" for some simply due to Whisham's amazing turn in it, but for that reason alone it may play at times more like an actor's demo reel than something designed to actually engage an audience.

Note: My colleague Brian Orndorf may have been somewhat more positively disposed toward the film than I was. You can read Brian's thoughts here.

Surge Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Surge is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of FilmRise and MVD Visual with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. While the IMDb doesn't offer much if any technical data on the shoot, your intrepid reviewer has tracked down this article which discusses all the films opening at Sundance in 2020 and gets into Surge with Director of Photography Stuart Bentley. Bentley mentions the use of the Arri Alexa Mini and also offers some rather interesting if brief comments about things like lighting regimens and lenses utilized. With an understanding that some of the stylistic quirks mentioned above, like the almost motion sickness inducing use of handheld cameras may at least contribute to the perception of a loss of detail, this is often a quite appealing sharp and well detailed looking presentation. Fine detail on things like fabrics or even perhaps a bit comically the stuffing of the mattress that gets affixed to Joseph is rendered precisely. The palette is naturalistic, and there are a few surprising pops of color, as in a scene where Joseph encounters some unexpected street dancers.

Surge Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Surge features a busy but nicely designed mix that is well represented on the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks included on this Blu-ray disc. The surround track has some really nice immersive capabilities, with almost hallucinogenic waftings of snippets of dialogue and other noises perhaps meant to almost subliminally evoke Joseph's deteriorating mental state. He also suffers from what might be tinnitus or some other inner ear anomaly which gives some sound effects a haunting character. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly for the most part, though there are occasional rather heavy accents to navigate. Optional English subtitles are available.

Surge Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Director Aneil Karia and Actor Ben Whishaw (HD; 4:47)


• Photo Gallery (HD) is authored without a timecode, but is also authored to auto advance.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:38)

Surge Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ben Whishaw seems to be one of those younger actors who can easily matriculate from "big ticket" items like Spectre and No Time to Die to "artier" fare like this indie film. This is a tic filled performance by design, and some may actually be put off by it, especially when it continues unabated for virtually the entire running time of the film, but it's one of those characterizations that is instantly intriguing and ultimately unforgettable. I'm not sure the film actually stands up to any scrutiny in terms of assessing a "meaning" or even a "narrative", but Whishaw is absolutely amazing. Technical merits are solid for those who may be considering making a purchase.