THE SURFER Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Julian McMahon, Finn Little, Julian Rosniak,Rahel Romahn , Miranda Tapsell, Charlotte Maggi, Alexander Bertrand.
Wake In Fright for the surf crowd? The Surfer is a study of toxic masculinity and madness, but unlike that seminal 1971 Australian classic which was set against the backdrop of Australia’s harsh outback, The Surfer is set on a remote surf beach in Western Australia.
The film introduces us to its unnamed protagonist (played by Nicolas Cage) who has arrived back in his childhood hometown of Luna Bay Beach after a couple of decades of living abroad. Several decades ago, following the death of his father, he and his mother relocated to California. He eventually returned to Australia and worked with the dream of being able to buy back his grandfather’s home which was situated on a hilltop overlooking the idyllic beach. He is separated from his wife Helen, but hopes that purchasing his former family home will enable him to bring his estranged family back together. He is desperate to strike a deal with his broker whom he talks to on his cell phone.
When the film opens he has arrived in Luna Bay Beach to but the house which has just come onto the market. He taken his teenage son (Finn Little, from the 2019 remake of Storm Boy) to the beach to surf the waves and show him the house. But the local surfers, led by Scally (Julian McMahon, from the tv series Nip/Tuck, etc) forbid strangers from accessing the beach. “Don’t live here, don’t surf here,” they threaten him and his son. The altercation turns violent and he and his son head back to the car park.
Our hero becomes obsessed with the beach and camps out in the car park to observe the surroundings. But slowly the surf gang strip him of everything – his money, his watch, his car, his dignity. The car park is also occupied by an elderly homeless gent (Nic Cassim, from tv series Mr In-Between, etc) who is living in his dilapidated car and who clearly has an issue with the surf gang.
In many films surfing has been depicted as a metaphor for life, but here television writer Thomas Martin (Ripper Street, Tin Star, etc) is using the situation and the tribalism of the surfers to explore something darker and more corrupt. Apparently, the surf gang and their actions has been loosely inspired by a real life surf gang in California. The film deals with childhood trauma, violence, obsession, toxic masculinity, and charts the emotional breakdown of Cage’s character. Not naming the character deliberately gives him a more everyman quality.
Irish director Lorcan Finnegan (Foxes, etc) has certainly drawn inspiration from Wake In Fright for his nightmarish vision here. His previous features Vivarium and Nocebo have also dealt with murky nightmarish scenarios and disorientation, so he is well versed in the visual language to make the material more effective and unsettling. He imbues the film with a very 70s aesthetic, even with the retro look of the credits.
Cinematographer Radek Ladczuk (The Babadook, etc) has bathed the film in sun drenched visuals and we can almost feel the heat and see the heat shimmering. He uses visual effects and trick shots to heighten the tension, and he gives the film a claustrophobic feel even though much of the drama takes place in the outdoor setting. There are lots of shots of local fauna that add little to the drama but reinforce the notion that Australia’s outback contains lots of dangerous creatures.
The Surfer is the third film Cage has shot in Australia, following the graphic novel adaptation Ghost Rider and the futuristic sci-fi thriller Knowing. Cage delivers his usual intense performance as his frustration and growing sense of his own impotence builds. We wait for him to go fully bat shit crazy in typical Cage fashion. McMahon brings menace and an intimidating and almost messianic quality to his performance as the charismatic but unpleasant leader of the self-styled Bay Boys surf gang. Costume designer Lien See Leong (Crazy Rich Asians, etc) has dressed his character in a long flowing red robe that is almost religious in tone. Julian Rosniak (from tv series Mr In-Between, etc) makes his presence felt as a corrupt cop who harasses Cage’s character. Rounding out the cast are Rahel Romahn (recently seen in The Correspondent), Miranda Tapsell, Charlotte Maggi and Alexander Bertrand.
★★★
