A nostalgic trip to his childhood beach quickly descends into turmoil in Lorcan Finnegan’s latest film, The Surfer, starring Nicholas Cage. Daragh and Seán from the Phoenix Film team saw the film ahead of its general release on May 9th and share their thoughts below.
Daragh’s Review
In this collaborative effort between Irish and Australian filmmakers, directed by Lorcan Finnegan, Hollywood royalty Nicholas Cage sets out to hit the biggest waves he can find in this daring, suspenseful tale focusing on the expectations of toxic masculinity and the repercussions that follow suit.
Set across the backdrop of Australia’s sun kissed terrain, a former surfer (Nicholas Cage) is on the brink of divorce and seeks to spend some one-on-one quality time with his son (Finn Little). He decides to take him to the idyllic beach of his childhood and enjoy some peaceful surfing. The trip quickly turns sour when a group of locals hit him with a surprise mantra of “Don’t Live Here. Don’t Surf Here,” humiliating the beach-dweller at every turn.
Determined to preserve the very spot that made his early youth special, the man waits it out but gets kept up day and night, between sudden parties and drinking sessions to the blazing heat of a summer’s day. A conflict arises over several days while shining a light onto and uncovering a dark, inconspicuous secret that drives him to his breaking point.
This was a movie I’d wanted to see for quite some time. Ever since seeing its very first trailer at the cinema ahead of some other recent flicks, I came to a decision to give it an honest try. As a huge fan of the thriller genre, this sounded right up my alley. After giving it a chance and taking some time to digest what I watched, I can confidently say this one is well worth your time. It’s not without its flaws, however.
The cast all do a fantastic job in selling their performances and really capture the raw emotion. At different stages, some line deliveries can sound slightly off, and I really felt like they needed at least another take. Nicholas Cage especially was evidence of this.
During casual conversation, some of the dialogue sounds scripted and artificial. Once the third act and main twists start to become apparent, he really ups the game and was especially convincing when displaying anger. The tone and aura in his voice and facial expressions were tweaking constantly and you could really feel this was a man reaching his boiling point.
The antagonists of the movie are also portrayed exceptionally well. Everyone involved leans into the craziness and frightening nature of these situations. There’s always been a time when we’ve experienced trouble on a beach or anywhere and the actors really bring that to the table with their ability.
The editing, camera angles and movements, sound design and music score are what can only be described for lack of better words as paranoia-inducing. Any moments involving drug or alcohol consumption are in some ways sickening to watch, but in a good way. The movements and colour correction are both so precise and cohesive that the speed at which they happen can catch a few off guards. I felt a tiny bit sick watching these scenes.
The sound design encapsulates not only the beauty of nature but also the rising tension of our hero stopping at nothing to achieve his goal. Everything from the waves hitting the shore to the fight sequences is brilliant. The music can take radical shifts from a chill summer vibe to a heart racing heist vibe in an instant.
The story is where some issues begin to arise. Without spoiling anything, one major twist towards the ending but taking place during the last half makes no sense and would have easily been left on the cutting room floor. It’s nuanced and open to the viewer’s interpretation but doesn’t give enough time to build up. This causes pacing issues. This portion drags on too long.
The theme of toxic masculinity is explored in an engaging manner. It doesn’t lecture the audience but frames an investing story around it, delving into the flawed mindset and dangers of this way of thinking, especially on the younger generation.
Overall, The Surfer is an enjoyable experience with stellar technical capabilities and decent acting and a strong message of the limits of masculinity. The third act, its pacing, and some questionable line deliveries do prevent it from reaching its full potential.
Seán’s Review
The Surfer, directed by Lorcan Finnegan, stars Nicholas Cage as an unnamed father who has returned to his childhood beach in order to buy his old family home and surf the waves with his son. Things go wrong when he has an altercation with the locals, and he is dragged into an escalating conflict which pushes him to his absolute limits.
Going into this film without knowing anything prior, I was absolutely blown away and dumbfounded with how the events of the film play out, especially when the film takes place entirely at the beach and its adjoining car park. Nicholas Cage gives a stand out performance both physically and emotionally as the increasing adversity he faces from the local surfers, police and beachside barista takes its toll on him.
Visually, the camera work and editing evolves to coincide with how the characters feels and sees the world in that moment, with more erratic and interesting shots and cuts. It really helps you get immersed in his struggle and empathise with how he is feeling.
Julian McMahon turns in an intimidating performance as Scally, the lead antagonist of the film who leads the gang of surfers who torment Cage’s character. Despite a short runtime, the film does feel much longer than it is. This works to the film’s benefit early on but does unfortunately cause the film to drag towards the climax making me question where the film is going and how does this end. The ending of the film I felt was unexpected and left things open-ended for the audience to come to their own conclusions about the film’s meaning.
Overall, I found The Surfer to be quite an exciting thrill ride with good performances and visuals throughout, giving room to the audience to think about the themes and message of the story and I’d give it a strong 8/10.
The Surfer is released in Irish cinemas on May 9th
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