Fans of filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan’s deeply unsettling psychological thrillers — such as Vivarium and Nocebo — can expect a similar experience in his latest release. With an increasingly manic Nicolas Cage at the helm, The Surfer
may be one of Finnegan’s most unhinged projects yet, and according to overwhelmingly positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s clear that audiences and critics alike are absolutely loving it.
An endurance game of dramatic tension, The Surfer features Cage as the eponymous Surfer, and Finn Little as his teenage son, who is simply dubbed The Kid. The Surfer drives his son to a parking lot overlooking the idyllic Luna Bay Beach, with the intention of revealing a big surprise once he and The Kid have surfed past the breaking waves. Problems almost immediately arise, however: The Kid doesn’t care about his father’s big surprise, while The Surfer’s phone delivers bad news about an undisclosed deal that is falling through. Then, as The Surfer and The Kid approach the beach, a group called the Bay Boys inform them that the beach is for locals’ use only. With threats of violence and harassment, the Bay Boys force The Surfer and The Kid to leave, instilling a rage in The Surfer that balloons exponentially as the film progresses.
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The Surfer is set for a theatrical release on May 2nd, but early reviews praise the film’s disturbing plot, relevant themes, and, of course, the madness that ultimately consumes Cage’s character. G. Allen Johnson of the San Francisco Chronicle observes: “As the Surfer becomes increasingly desperate in the contest of wills, he becomes unhinged, and in cinema, an unhinged Nic Cage is the best Nic Cage.” Meanwhile, other critics applaud The Surfer’s unsettling atmosphere, described as “a sun-addled fugue state” that is both “weird and wily.” And finally, Julian Roman of our very own MovieWeb peers into the ugliness that simmers just below the surface of Finnegan’s film, aptly summarizing, “Characters blur together in a waking nightmare fueled by tribalism and toxic masculinity.”
What Makes The Surfer So Compelling?
Finnegan’s work often explores socio-political or cultural dilemmas, and The Surfer is no exception. Conversations about gender norms have become especially prevalent in today’s political climate, with many people feeling sharply divided over the issue: while some look ahead to a future where the rigid boundaries of gendered expectations become malleable and transient, others hope to return to a 1950s-era society where roles are clearly defined. These conversations often include allusions to an apparent masculinity crisis, which can encompass anything from a lack of dating success among young men to the isolation that older men often experience due to lacking a strong support system.
The Surfer is an appealing work of art, partially because it offers a thought-provoking glimpse at some of these incredibly relevant topics. The film’s plot places Cage’s character squarely in a treacherous pit of emasculation: he has lost his authority as both a father and family man, he lacks money and therefore power, and now his very existence becomes threatened as the Bay Boys force him to retreat from the beach. It is this combination of issues in the Surfer’s life, combined with the social and cultural pressures of dominance and traditional masculinity, that allow him to spiral into madness so thoroughly.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
Release Date
May 17, 2024
Runtime
99 Minutes
Director
Lorcan Finnegan
Writers
Thomas Martin
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