SYNOPSIS:

TUSKS OF VARAHA is a dark comedy about a sex cult in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The fast-paced story explores themes of sex, animal sacrifice, religious ceremony, and California culture. The so-called Santa Cruz Sex Therapy Group is run by Professor Mitch, the professor of Modern Mythology at UC Santa Cruz. The members of the therapy group are attempting to become sex gods—their idol being Bunker Spreckels, the famous 1960s surfer and playboy. The story begins with a wedding ceremony between Dwi (the most hopeless member of the therapy group) and a goat. The ceremony goes wrong when the goat runs away and gets eaten by a pack of wild boar. Witnessing this tragedy, Dwi sets out on a mission to find a new goat to complete the ceremony. Dwi is picked up along the side of the road by a group of screwball surfers. After helping Dwi steal a goat, they secretly follow him back to the sex cult. The surfer named Jesse, who is taking the Modern Mythology class, immediately recognizes Professor Mitch as well as a fellow student—a girl he’s in love with named Eva. While sneaking round the therapy group, the surfers encounter a huge cage full wild boar. It turns out the professor is breeding the boar for some sinister purpose. One of the surfers, Eliot, gets captured by Professor Mitch and signs up to participate in the sex rituals. The other two surfers, Jesse and Ryan, are arrested by the sheriff for stealing a goat. After getting out on bail, Jesse and Ryan return to the sex cult to rescue Sam and Eva. They arrive to find the camp in a state of chaos: Eva has set all the wild boar loose. Professor Mitch confronts Eva in his private cabin. When Dwi barges in, he attacks the professor, saving the girl. From Dwi’s perspective, he sees himself as Bunker Spreckels fighting against Varaha, the Hindu boar god. The story ends happily with the three surfers back home after a bizarre adventure and with Dwi walking along the coast as the sun rises: he achieved his goal to become a sex god: he is the picture of Bunker Spreckels.