Set in a small carpark in Yallingup, The Surfer is a movie about a man wanting to return home and take his son for a surf. However, when that man is Nicolas Cage you’re hardly surprised when you suddenly find yourself in a psychological thriller.
After years away carving out a successful career in America, a man (Nicolas Cage) returns home to win back his family.
Step 1. Buy back the family home perched on a cliff overlooking his favourite childhood beach. The location is perfect. The view stunning. The price … several million dollars, but that’s okay he’s good for it. Will he be the winning bidder?
While waiting to hear back from the real estate agent he embarks on the second part of his plan.
Step 2. Bond with his teenage son (Fin Little) by taking him out of school for a surf at the beach. The plan is to paddle out, look back at the family home and tell his son it’s theirs, but as the saying goes, God laughs when we make plans.
The local surfers, led by Scally (Julian McMahon) do not like outsiders.
Humiliated in front of his teenage son the man stands his ground refusing to leave the beach. As the standoff escalates he’s brought right to the edge of his sanity and his entire identity is thrown into question.
As the credits scrolled I pondered:
- The Surfer explores family, success, masculinity, drugs and self help groups;
- McMahon’s channeling of Andrew Tate is often hard to watch. In some instances, the same outcome could have been achieved with a lighter touch, rather than ramming the message into the scene;
- Cage continues to do unhinged so well;
- The movie squeezes every last drop of action out of a tiny carpark in Western Australia;
- When shown at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival the movie received a six-minute standing ovation, was described as a ‘cult movie in the making’ and one of ‘Nicolas Cage’s best performances’;
- If you think you’re having a bad day this is the movie for you.
For more information go to Luna Cinemas. The Surfer opens in select cinemas on May 15 and then streams on STAN from June 15.
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