“The Surfer,” directed by Lorcan Finnegan, and honestly, my brain feels like it needs a serious unpacking session. Where do I even begin with this film? And you know what? I think that’s the entire point. I walked away completely scratching my head, going, “What the actual f*** is going on here?” And in a weird way, that feels masterfully done.
The premise is simple enough: a guy wants to move back to his childhood home in Australia and takes his son to the local beach for the day. But then you’re thrown into this bizarre world with a gang of surfers who are gatekeeping the waves, and then there’s Nicolas Cage. Oh, man, Nicolas Cage. He plays this lunatic who is obsessed with buying his childhood home and some how thinking this will fix all his problems.
This film dives deep into some heavy stuff. It touches on identity, who we are and what defines us. It explores the intense desire and need to belong, and even the lengths people will go to achieve that sense of belonging. And it definitely treads into the territory of mental health. There were moments where I genuinely laughed, but then I immediately felt uncomfortable for laughing.
The entire film takes place on this isolated beach, this one single piece of the world, and the cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. The way they capture this location is stunning. The little fisheye camera work and those super up-close shots were a bit overdone for me at times. BUT (and this is a big but), stepping back, I realized those angles felt incredibly intentional. They really pull you into the mind of Nicolas Cage’s character.
And speaking of Cage, he is just brilliant in this. He continues to pick these roles that just push him, and honestly, I bought every damn thing that came out of his mouth in this film. He was that convincing.
“The Surfer” isn’t just one thing. It’s a thriller, it’s suspenseful, and there are definitely elements of horror sprinkled throughout. You are constantly trying to figure out what the hell is going on. I thought I had it figured out multiple times, only for the film to pull the rug out from under me. Nope. Just enjoy the ride, folks.
I’m giving “The Surfer” a solid 4 out of 5 stars. It’s a definite watch, especially if you’re into things that are just… out of the norm. The writing is so different, and honestly, I want more of this kind of filmmaking.
