The Surfer gets gnarly in a hurry with shocking visuals, mind-bending twists, and a riveting lead performance from Nicolas Cage as a desperate father clinging to his dreams and sanity while running afoul of a**hole “bros” on a scorching Australian beach. Characters blur together in a waking nightmare fueled by tribalism and toxic masculinity. What begins as a seemingly straightforward premise goes off the deep end when reality itself is called into question. Your skin will crawl until a head-scratching climax that ticks nearly every item on the bonkers checklist, but feels rushed and manufactured after a long build-up.
The Surfer (Cage) drives his teenage son, a.k.a. the Kid (Finn Little), to a parking lot overlooking Luna Bay beach. He has a big surprise that will be revealed once they surf past the breaking waves. The Kid couldn’t care less about surfing or whatever his dad wants to show him. His mother will be furious when she finds out he was taken out of school. The Surfer’s phone rings with an unpleasant update. He’ll need a lot more money to seal the deal. There’s another offer that’s all cash.
Beach Bullies
The Surfer
3.5
/5
- Release Date
-
May 17, 2024
- Runtime
-
99 Minutes
- Director
-
Lorcan Finnegan
- Writers
-
Thomas Martin
- Nicolas Cage delivers a superb lead performance.
- A twisted exploration of toxic masculinity.
- The finale feels rushed after an intense build-up.
While walking with their surfboards towards the water, father and son encounter the “Bay Boys,” who let them know that the beach is for locals only. They need to leave. The Surfer and Kid are surrounded. They’re about to get stomped when Scally (Julian McMahon) intervenes. He orders the attackers to back off with a sneering grin. You can’t control what these locals will do. Get in your car before you get pummeled in front of your son.
The Surfer stews over the violent altercation. He returns to the parking lot alone. The sun beats down on his furious brow. He watches with burning anger as the Bay Boys tease a bum (Nic Cassim) looking for his missing dog. This is a public beach. How dare they stop him from entering the water.
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Director Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium, Nocebo) remains true to form with another intense psychological thriller. The Surfer is the classic unreliable narrator. His behavior in the opening scenes makes sense, and he’s right to be outraged by the Bay Boys. They’re vicious and remorseless bullies. That certainty fades as the Surfer refuses to leave the beach. He watches the men from afar while experiencing strange flashbacks and memory lapses. There’s much more to his story than meets the eye.
Cage’s Surfer has ulterior motives that bubble to the surface. Finnegan uses lens flares and jolting imagery to illustrate his degrading state of mind. The Surfer cannot cope with past traumatic events, and the Bay Boys are both the source of his pain and a trigger for something deeper in his troubled psyche. Their awful abuse chips away at his very existence. Everything we believe about the Surfer becomes doubtful as the harsh setting and his stubborn nature take hold.
We initially meet the Surfer in a business suit with a stylish Lexus. His son’s reticence is the first sign that this veneer of normalcy will be chipped away. Dad isn’t okay, and whatever he’s doing is masking a bigger problem. This central theme of instability also pertains to the Bay Boys’ disgusting behavior, but it’s important to watch the Surfer hit rock bottom to understand why. Finnegan has a reason for this malaise, and it’s quite thought-provoking.
The Surfer addresses the failures of perceived masculinity. The protagonist has lost everything he holds dear as a provider. His marriage, career, and authority as a father have crumbled into dust. He believes that reclaiming a source of childhood happiness will somehow fill that void. The Surfer will show his fractured family that he can still get the job done and give them palpable security. The loathsome Scally preaches a similar message to the Bay Boys, but with a far more aggressive reach. Men have to be dominant, territorial, and unflinching when challenged. But you must first feel pain and worthlessness in order to claw your way back to an alpha position. This is ugly stuff, and revolting in every regard.
Alpha-Male Dominance
Cage continues to thrive in complex and layered portrayals. The Surfer’s descent into madness is gripping. He transforms into a different animal amid relentless persecution under the baking sun. Cage, who famously ate a cockroach in Vampire’s Kiss, is overtaken by thirst, hunger, and despair. His refusal to leave the beach and its tantalizing promise of a better future digs a bleaker pit. What emerges from the darkness is exactly the clay that Scally wants to mold.
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This will make the perfect Nic Cage double bill.
The Surfer had me hooked until a finale that’s much too neat. Finnegan and screenwriter Thomas Martin (Prime Target, Ripper Street) resolve the lingering questions in a tidy bow after throwing fists, excrement, and dead rats for the previous 90 minutes. The artificial closure is disappointing, but the film’s weighty themes and its wild execution certainly warrant a recommendation.
The Surfer will be released theatrically on May 2 from Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate.
