Surge, BBC 2, BBC iPlayer, Writers Rupert Jones and Rita Kalnejais, Director Aneil Karia.

Posted by celticman on Wed, 30 Nov 2022

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.  

Comments

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

It's a grim fact of life, that we face these day to day grinds at the hands of trying to get by and make a living to survive. 

I remember spending two years of my life as a single parent, working nights, doing twelve hour shifts also at the weekends to pay the bills, and holding down an evening cleaning job and Saturday morning cleaning too. I was just sleeping, eating and working every day, with a teenage son to cope with.

I would be walking around like a zombie at times, doing my food shopping whenever I could. The work was sitting at a machine doing the same thing night after night, though I didn't mind the repetitive aspect but it did give me a hunch in my neck from holding my head in the same position every night, there just didn't seem to be any respite from any of it, but I couldn't just run away.

Luckily, like many of the other situations I've found myself in, I managed to get through this period. I can only feel for anyone who finds themselves stuck in the daily grind, it's not easy to get out of.

I suppose that's why I value the freedom of being retired with a man who cares about me so much. For that I'll always be so grateful.

Will have to look this film up, though I think I'll find it hard to watch, might bring back many memories I'd rather forget.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by celticman on

I'm not sure I'd call the film enjoyable, Jenny.