Film Review: The Surfer

5 Stars

In an ocean of mediocre and repetitive summer blockbusters, the new independent film The Surfer swims alone as an original and unexpected cinematic experience. I loved it. For fans of the enigmatic and sometimes deranged performances of actor Nicolas Cage, it provides another leading man that won’t soon be forgotten, and one of the more interesting characters he’s portrayed on screen.

Based on a remarkably layered screenplay from Irish writer Thomas Martin, The Surfer is a “surfing” movie unlike any other you’ve ever seen. That’s because it’s all about surfing and not about it at all, both at the same time.

Set in Western Australia, Cage plays a flawed father desperate to connect with his son during a divorce. Cage takes his kid back to a cherished surf spot of his youth where he’s risked everything to buy back his childhood home on the beach and reclaim something spiritual he’s lost. When they encounter a gang of local surfers who now control this spot, it sets off an explosive showdown between them.

In a nod to the mythic morality tale that unfollows, the character names in the script are only The Surfer, The Kid, and The Bay Boys Gang respectively.

The rapid-paced story takes place (and is entirely shot) essentially in one parking lot: which becomes a kind of Down-Under Bermuda Triangle where a man’s life changes forever and unexpectedly holds him hostage physically and spiritually.

The Surfer, as played by Cage, is a trainwreck of bad decisions with good intentions. And as we watch him spin out of control standing up to The Bay Boys, it becomes painful and sometimes comically over the top in a genuine melodrama.

Cage is a master of this trajectory (think Raising Arizona, Leaving Las Vegas, Wild at Heart, or more recently The Pig), and in The Surfer he shows us that even though the world has meme’d his signature style, it’s never the same twice and still filled with nuanced surprises. Cage is also a producer on the project.

Adding to the special qualities are the pitch-perfect musical score from François Tétaz and the vibrant, hallucinogenic cinematography from Radek Ladczuk (The Babadook). Both deserve to be caught on the big screen if you can, before the film arrives on VOD in early June.

But it’s relative newcomer and director Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium) who has created this sizzling world of high stakes. His saturated style pays homage to the surfing films and noir of the 1960s in a way that feels creative and fresh. His directorial control, and all his wonderful details, add up to a wild ride that will sometimes puzzle you, but is always intriguing. It’s not hard to see why the film was invited to last year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it received a six-minute standing ovation after the premiere.

You could see The Surfer as a tragi-comic mashup of Iron John, Fight Club, and Moby Dick or as a toxic masculine version of Thelma & Louise … or you’ll have your own take from the many avenues of interpretation available. It’s the rare gift of a distinct story that will stay with you after it’s over, and I hope it will provoke some cool movie conversations with friends (a wonderful relic of the past).

Running 1 hour 40 minutes and rated R for violence, language, and drug use. Now playing in limited theatrical release, The Surfer will become available on streaming June 6.

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