The Surfer Review

The Surfer sees Nicolas Cage go Down Under as he battles toxic masculinity and a suburban form of limbo.

A Surfer (Cage) plans to buy his father’s old home in a wealthy suburb. The Surfer takes his son (Finn Little), to the beach to surf, but is confronted by aggressive locals, led by Scally (Julian McMahon) who don’t allow them to surf. The Surfer stays in the car park by the bench, determined to surf, while the locals do everything they can to break the American-accented man.

Since the start of the decade, Nicolas Cage has taken on more interesting roles. His recent filmography includes Willy’s Wonderland, Pig, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Dream Scenario, and Longlegs. He has acted as a producer on all of those films, and many have developed a cult audience. The Surfer seems like it will go down a similar route since it has earned positive reviews, and it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival as a Midnight Screening.

The Surfer was a film that was easy to admire but hard to enjoy. It was a film with big ideas. The most obvious was the examination of toxic masculinity. Scally’s group dominated the beach and intimidated anyone that dared try to walk onto it. They were given license to act like dicks. Scally was a motivational speaker and his social media was filled with his philosophy about men needing to be broken down so they can be rebuilt. He combined toxic masculinity with New Age nonsense. Scally’s group were a cult. Inductees were literally given a badge of honour if someone beat the trials.

The mix of masculinity and cult behaviour made The Surfer into the surf culture version of Fight Club. The Surfer was a more condensed story since it took place in the car park and the beach, and the anti-capitalism message was toned down in the Australian film. It should be noted that The Surfer takes place in a wealthy suburb, where the majority were highly paid professionals.

The other theme in the film was religious. Scally aimed to rebirth his followers. New members of his cult were dunked into the ocean like they were being baptised. The Surfer ended up being stuck in Purgatory since he was stuck in the car park, and the longer he stayed, the more he lost. He lost his possessions and sense of self. This was when the film went down a surreal route as his reality became more distorted.

The Surfer had noble intentions, but it had one major problem: it was unpleasant to watch. It was a story about a man getting destroyed bit-by-bit and even worst, nearly every character in the film was an arsehole and were a part of the cult. They tortured and mocked The Surfer throughout the film, and I wanted him to snap and go on a killing spree. It was a miserable watch. I saw the film at an Odeon Unseen screening, and I noticed at least one couple walking out.

Throughout the film, The Surfer kept saying he wanted to buy the house because it was his childhood home. Yet it was noticeable that The Surfer spoke with an American, and the character had to justify this. Even Cage’s biggest fans would admit that accents are not his forte.

The Surfer was a multilayered film, and it’s easy to see why it received rave reviews from high-end critics. They enjoyed the pretensions. However, it was such a miserable experience, which will leave many viewers trapped in a whirlpool of depression.