The Surfer

by Mike McGranaghan

Have you ever seen a badly disheveled person wandering around aimlessly, talking seeming nonsense to themselves? The Surfer imagines a scenario that might cause somebody to get to that point. The movie starts off as a fairly straightforward thriller, then gradually evolves into a pitch-black comedy. Not a “ha ha” kind of comedy, more of a “That’s so horrible I don’t know what to do other than laugh” kind of comedy. It’s effectively uncomfortable.

“The Surfer” (Nicolas Cage) is on the cusp of fulfilling his dream. He’s returned to the Australian beach town where he grew up and has an offer down on the house his late father owned. When he tries to take his teenage son surfing, they’re confronted by a group of hostile locals, headed by Scally (Julian McMahon), who threaten them until they leave. Humiliated and angry, Surfer obsessively hangs out in the parking lot for days, watching the group and escalating tensions with them. They realize what he’s doing, so they proceed to torment him. For example, knowing he fills his water bottle from the fountain by the restrooms, they smear dog feces all over the nozzle.

Early scenes in the film have a scary vibe. Scally and crew make clear that they’re willing to resort to violence. Every time Surfer instigates another encounter with them, it’s nerve-wracking because he’s poking the metaphorical bear. Over time, the threat becomes more environmental. Intense heat, hunger, and thirst overtake him, causing delirium. The man turns into a ranting, raving lunatic, rendering him even more vulnerable to his enemies. Viewer anxiety grows further.

Nicolas Cage is obviously the perfect choice to play this character, given that there’s a certain outsized component to his experience. The Oscar winner avoids the type of overacting he did a lot of during that period where he starred in nothing but paycheck movies. Instead, he turns in a sincere performance driven by Surfer’s realization that his dream is slowly slipping from his grip. If the situation can’t be resolved, he might not get to enjoy the idyllic life he’s been working to establish. Cage convincingly strips away this man’s sanity, layer by layer. McMahon is an excellent foil, playing Scally with a casual cruelty, as if he almost instinctively understands how to get under the outsider’s skin.

The Surfer contains an extremely clever plot development in the third act. Thomas Martin’s screenplay doesn’t quite know how to pay that off, leading to a final scene that feels manipulative. Thankfully, it at least builds to a concluding shot that’s filled with poignance. A minor misstep doesn’t wreck the impact of going on Surfer’s journey with him.

Tautly directed by Lorcan Finnegan and visually turned into a sun-drenched nightmare by The Babadook’s Radek Ladczuk, the film is an appropriately disquieting thriller. But it’s also a story about obsession, fatherhood, and community. You can simply enjoy the tension-filled ride, or you can do that and appreciate the deeper ideas that exist underneath the ride-like quality.

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