Nicolas Cage started this year strong with his creepy and unhinged performance as the titular serial killer in Longlegs. Then there was his equally strong and stoic performance in the apocalypse thriller, Arcadian. Never one to rest on his laurels, Cage is already back on the circuit with his next offering, The Surfer. Directed by Vivarium and Nocebo’s Lorcan Finnegan, in The Surfer Cage is transported to Australia where his character comes face to face with some less than welcoming locals.
As The Surfer begins, Christmas is looming and Cage’s character wants only to take his son for a surf on the break from his childhood. However, the break in question is now the sole territory of ‘The Bay Boys’ and any non-local outsiders are strongly encouraged to retreat. After having his hand forced once, the man sticks around, determined to hold his ground. What follows is the slow unravelling of a desperate and determined mind. Announced in the opening credits as ‘the Surfer’, this is as close to a name as the audience gets for Cage’s character. His lack of clear identity comes into play as the film progresses, causing the audience to question what is and isn’t real in the same way that the nameless man does.
Playing characters in states of mental decline and distress are Cage’s forte, and in The Surfer he gets to ramp his performance up to eleven. As the Surfer fixates on his rivalry with the Bay Boys, every other aspect of his world falls away from him. He loses himself entirely to the cause, and even when faced with the deplorable actions of the surfing unit, he does not waver. Some of his ordeal is gnarly, the cutting off of his water supply and a risky new drinking source featuring high on the gross-out list. Other acts involve stealing his belongings as well as effectively starving him and isolating him from society. The punishment dished out by the Bay Boys, headed up by a fantastic Julian McMahon, is awful, and yet, the audience continually questions why the Surfer doesn’t just leave.
The answer to that question is that this man is locked into creating a happy memory with his family. He wants to recreate the fun times he had as a boy and will go through Hell to get there. It’s an interesting concept to explore that delves into the potent dangers that lurk within succumbing to nostalgia. That feeling will never be the same, and his pursuit of achieving this unattainable dream is sad to see unfold. At the same time as casting a light onto the perils of living in a memory, Finnegan also analyses the cult of surfing alongside the cult of man.
As the Surfer’s mental health and physical state begin to unravel, the shots begin to mirror the situation. In the beginning the beach and its surrounding areas are pristine and beautiful, but as the narrative draws on, the vistas become dishevelled. The cool and refreshing waves are replaced by hot and unforgiving tarmac and dried out husks of trees. Then there is the introduction of flies. It’s unclear if these were introduced intentionally or were a happy accident on set, but the flies buzzing around Cage’s character further heighten his plight and that he and his co-stars carry on as if they aren’t present works creepily well.
Towards its climax The Surfer starts to lose some ground however. The story begins to constrict itself, and whilst the several interpretations that can be made about the final act offer opportunity for rich analysis, it becomes a little frustrating. Cage is nonetheless in fine form and keeps the viewer with them right until the last shot. The actor is rightly lauded as one of our generation’s greatest performers and his work here is a perfect example as to why. His turn as the Surfer is captivating and it is always a fun time for the audience when he unleashes his more unstable side. Overall The Surfer manages to swerve choppy waters. It channels Point Break by way of psychological torment, with a smattering of Cage’s brand of humour and some psychedelic imagery for good measure.
The Surfer
Summary
Once more on top form, Nicolas Cage gives an exceptional performance in this intense study of one man’s determination to reclaim a memory.
The Surfer was reviewed at the London Film Festival 2024.
