Nic Cage has once again shocked me with the most ridiculous yet intriguing concept for a film. The Surfer is a psychological thriller about, you guessed it, surfing. The film was an official selection for both the Cannes Film Festival and South by Southwest. So even though The Surfer seems a little unserious from the trailer below it is actually anything but.
Here’s a quick synopsis before you get into the clip:
In the psychological thriller directed by Lorcan Finnegan, a man returns to the idyllic beach of his childhood to surf with his son. But his desire to hit the waves is thwarted by a group of locals whose mantra is “don’t live here, don’t surf here.” Humiliated and angry, the man is drawn into a conflict that keeps rising in concert with the punishing heat of the summer and pushes him to his breaking point.
The Surfer trailer is anxiety inducing, to say the least. It has fitting summer vibes for its release in May. It’s safe to say this film does not have the same humor elements as one of my favorite Cage films, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. However, like most Nic Cage, films it has a little touch of weirdness that the film doesn’t shy away from. I am getting a cross between Midsommar and Teen Beach Movie.
Cage has been on a wave of interesting films lately. He seems to really just be picking what he finds the most fun and interesting. In my opinion, Nic Cage does best when he picks roles that allow him to be as quirky as possible. Case in point, when he played Professor Paul Matthews in Dream Scenario.
Starring alongside Cage is Julian McMahon, Nic Cassim, Miranda Tapsell, Alexander Bertrand, and Justin Rosniak. The film is directed by Lorcan Finnegan, an Irish filmmaker most known for the film Vivarium, a surrealist sci-fi horror. Catch The Surfer in theaters May 2, and maybe if you live near the coast you can also catch some waves.