The Surfer (5 Stars)

This is the ninth film in the Stuttgart White Nights Festival.

Even before seeing the film, I expected it to be the best film in the festival, and I wasn't disappointed. Nevertheless, I wasn't prepared for what awaited me. The film's premise is simple, but it develops into a Kafkaesque nightmare.

In best Kafka mode, the main character isn't given a name. He was born in a beachside house in Australia, but when he was 15 his father died and his mother took him to live in America. All his life he's longed to return to the place where he enjoyed surfing. Now he finally has a chance. The house where he used to live is on sale, and he wants to buy it, however much it costs.

He isn't welcomed when he arrives. The locals tell him he isn't allowed to surf. They repeat the slogan, "Don't live here, don't surf here". He tells them he intends to live near the beach, but they still don't accept him. They become increasingly violent. They bully him, and his whole life is torn apart. They steal his surfboard, his phone, his watch, his car, his shoes. He becomes a vagrant, living close to the beach. He hardly knows what's happening around him.

And that's just the beginning.

Be sure to watch this remarkable film when it's shown in the cinema.