Sundance 2020: 10 Films Everyone Is Buzzing About
9. Surge
Back in 2013, director Aneil Karia released a short film called Beat, in which Ben Whishaw played a man wandering the streets of London, dancing and knocking things off shelves and generally just letting loose and not having a care in the world.
Now, the filmmaker has expanded some of the ideas from that short into a full-length feature, with Whishaw starring as Joseph, a troubled airport worker who gets pushed to his limits - uncaring co-workers, resentful parents and a dull job are all factors here - and embarks on a crime spree.
By all accounts, Whishaw does not hold back in his role, delivering a twitchy and unpredictable physical performance that is as transfixing as it is disturbing. The movie's screenplay has been criticised, but its leading man has been generating a lot of buzz, and this is definitely a performance to keep your eye on throughout this year.
Whishaw is even winning awards already, earning the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting at the tail-end of the festival.