Surge (2020 British film)

Surge is a 2020 British psychological drama thriller film, directed by Aneil Karia from a screenplay by Karia, Rupert Jones and Rita Kalnejasis. It stars Ben Whishaw, Ellie Haddington, Ian Gelder and Jasmine Jobson.

It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 26 January 2020 and was released in the United Kingdom on 28 May 2021, by Vertigo Releasing.

Premise
A mentally ill man goes on a bold and reckless journey of self-liberation in London.

Cast

 * Ben Whishaw as Joseph, Alan and Joyce’s son
 * Ellie Haddington as Joyce, Joseph’s mother and Alan’s wife
 * Ian Gelder as Alan, Joseph’s father and Joyce’s husband
 * Jasmine Jobson as Lily
 * Laurence Spellman as Scott
 * Ryan McKen as Emre
 * Muna Otaru as Adaeze
 * Bradley Taylor as Patrick
 * Ranjit Singh Shubh as Jonathon
 * Chris Coghill as Hamish (Best Man)
 * Clare Joseph as Sarah (Bride)
 * Perry Fitzpatrick as Bradley

Release
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 26 January 2020. In January 2021, Vertigo Releasing acquired U.K. and Irish distribution rights to the film. It was released on 28 May 2021. In June 2021, FilmRise acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film. The film went on to gross $34,444 worldwide.

Critical reception
Surge holds approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on  reviews, with an average of. The site's critical consensus reads, "Discomfiting by design, Surge will wear some viewers down -- but Ben Whishaw's mesmerizing performance keeps the action gripping even when it's hard to take." Whishaw received World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting at the Sundance Film Festival.