By Jack Ransom - October 15, 2024
The Surfer sees a man (Nicolas Cage) return to his beachside hometown in Australia, he is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a local group of surfers who claim ownership of the secluded beach of his childhood.
Kicking off LFF 2024 with a sun drenched slice of Cage shenanigans. This was one that I had had on my radar since its premiere at Cannes earlier this year. It’s always a joy seeing Cage within the sphere of strange and horror inflicted territory (with his stellar turns in both Longlegs & Dream Scenario this year and last year immediately springing to mind) and with director Lorcan Finnegan delivering a trippy gem a few years ago with the Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots starring Vivarium, I was very intrigued by what would be on display here.
The Surfer was simultaneously both what I expected and also at the same time not. After establishing Cage’s fractured relationship with his son (of whom he tries desperately to impress with his goal to purchase his old beach side facing home where he grew up), things turn awry as he lingers indefinitely in a parking lot waiting for his broker to confirm the deal has gone through so that he can show his son the house. From here, a looping nightmare of mind games, psychological abuse from the hostile locals, mania and the blurred lines of reality and fantasy begin to cross his mind. The pacing is consistently gliding and for the first two acts I was completely locked into the bizarre, stabbing-ly comedic and tragic spiral that Cage’s ‘Surfer’ (he is never named) finds himself in. At just under 100 minutes I did find the length noticeable in the final act, especially due to the film’s repetitive structure and the final 15-20 minutes does feel a tad bolted on, but is necessary for closure.
This is one of the most unique set and shot films that I have seen this year. The bold, radiant and gorgeous Australian coastline bristles with heat and an otherworldly quality. The cinematography is gorgeous and you really feel the isolation of the locale. The Surfer largely takes place either on the beach itself or in the car park up on the hill. Finnegan incorporates a myriad of directional techniques to keep the film visually engaging. From handheld camerawork, harsh Dutch angles, fish eye lenses the film consistently hits you with creative and off-kilter techniques to match Cage’s paranoia. There are bursts of splattery, squirm-inducing violence and gross out, hallucinogenic imagery, alongside a score that skips between ditzy beach vibes and creepy horror twangs.
Cage is magnetic and this is up there with one of his best performances in recent years. His growing anger, confusion, insanity and loss of dignity is presented well and he gets to simultaneously balance straight-faced snark alongside the expected freak outs… and licking cigarette-filled puddles, attacking people with beach signs and crying with joy that he does indeed own a car. Julian McMahon’s straight-faced, unblinking, intense-yet-relaxed beach gang leader Scally is an uneasy presence and Nicholas Cassim’s barking, bleak and eccentric ‘Bum’ is what the "Surfer" very much seeks to avoid himself becoming.
The Surfer showcases Cage’s unique acting talents and delivers a very solid darkly comedic, trippy psychological drama that is certainly worth a viewing. The unnerving, off-kilter atmosphere, unique visual flair, intriguing premise and great performances do mostly overshadow the repetitive structure and lingering third act burnout.
The Surfer is coming soon
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