The Surfer: Movie Review

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Julian McMahon, Finn Little
Director: Lorcan Finnegan

Taking The League of Gentlemen's catch cry of "Are You Local?" to extremes, Vivarium director Lorcan Finnegan's The Surfer sees a typically eclectic performance from Nicolas Cage as a man pushed to extremes.

Heading out to the beach the week before Christmas with his son (Little), the Surfer is determined to catch some waves and show off his potential new purchase to his boy. But when a second deal threatens the future of his dream home, the Surfer starts to see things unravel. 

It's further complicated by revelations his wife's leaving him, about to remarry and his job is in jeopardy after he showed up to work without any shoes or socks on.

But that pales into insignificance when the locals at the beach admonish him that he "don't live here, don't surf here" threatening him and bullying him into submission. However, determined to fight back, the Surfer soon finds himself in a cat and mouse clash where his very sanity is questioned....

The Surfer makes good use of its lead - it's hard to imagine anyone else taking on the role with such chutzpah and determination. With his beard and hair dyed blonde, Cage catches the surfer vibe to a tee, but becoming wound up by every escalating moment, it soon becomes clear that Cage's propensity for manic intensity is the reason he's cast here.

As the menace builds up, Finnegan's film works better because it's not populated by a large cast. A gravelly, growly McMahon proves to be a suitable nemesis, but there's little here to suggest anything other than psychological terrorism.

It all comes spiralling to an end in a 15-minute exposition dump that seemingly explains everything and pushes the absurdism to its limits, but Finnegan keeps control of the vibe as the denouement comes crashing like a wave.

Yet another film to add to the pantheon of menacing Aussie locals in the wild, The Surfer is demented in its exploration of toxic masculinity, and yet it's also strangely upsetting as it charts the unravelling of a man and his dreams.