If you’ve ever been at a sporting event and seen a spectator run onto the field, it generates a complicated response.
Clearly, the guy (it’s almost always a guy) shouldn’t be out there and he’s delaying the event you’ve paid good money to see in the first place. But, at the same time, there’s the thrill of the unexpected and an odd sense of admiration for someone willing to buck the system for a few moments of pointless glory before being tackled by a security guard.
All of these feelings are in play in the Swiss film “Streaker,” where not only running onto the field but doing so completely naked, raises the stakes in this oddball, charming comedy.
Our hero is an unassuming high school teacher Balz Naf (Beat Schlatter), a wallflower who is respected by no one, including his teenage daughter Elisa (Luna Wedler). Mr. Naf’s only goal is to raise money to build a museum for a local, literary hero, but, his school instead takes the money he’s raised and uses it to build a new soccer field.
Spurned and desperate, Naf takes the money and gambles it on a soccer game in the hopes of doubling his money so he can still get funding for the museum. His hopes are dashed when a streaker runs onto the field and disrupts the game and causes Naf to lose his “sure thing” bet.
Now that he’s really up against it, Naf and his hairdresser/bookie Kushtrim (Bendrit Bajra), inspired by the streaker, try to see if anyone will bet on how long a streaker will stay on the field before being dragged off by security.
The idea is a hit, but the only problem is no one knows when and where a streaker will strike, so Naf recruits a team of streakers under the guise of a “self-confidence-building workshop.”
When the streakers hit the field, the money starts rolling in, but Naf has a lot to make up in a short amount of time, all while eluding an increasingly suspicious police force.
This is all incredibly silly, but the movie manages to earn every moment of it, including an unexpected romance. It’s also a lot of fun seeing the creative ways Naf’s streakers evade security to get onto the field.
The result is as sweet, endearing, and funny a movie featuring full-frontal nudity you’ll ever likely stumble across.
“Streaker” moves at a brisk pace, not giving you a lot of time to consider some of the huge gaps of logic present in the plot. Schlatter is also fun to watch as he transforms from a doormat to a criminal mastermind. Like if “Breaking Bad” became “Breaking Naked.”
“Streaker” is an enjoyable little romp that gleefully takes on some harmless taboos while pulling at some common threads of humanity.
Much like an actual streaker, it’s a movie that comes out of nowhere and you’ll probably be a little ashamed to admit how much you enjoyed it.
“Streaker” is not rated but features nudity, sexual situations, and language.
