Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Julian McMahon, Nic Cassim, Miranda Tapsell, Alexander Bertrand, Justin Rosniak
Screenplay: Thomas Martin
103 mins. Not Rated.

As a very pale Minnesota man, let me clearly state: I feel you, Nicolas Cage. I very much understand the effects of too much sun.

The Surfer follows the titular character, played by Cage (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) as he returns home and attempts to reconnect with his son while riding some waves. When they arrive, they are quickly turned away by an aggressive group of Australian surfer bros, led by a man named Scally (Julian McMahon, Fantastic 4). The toughs inform him that the rule is, “Don’t Live Here? Don’t Surf Here.” They don’t seem to understand, however, that Cage did live here for a time in his youth, and he’s trying to put together a deal to buy property on the beach, but they don’t care. As the sun above blisters his skin, our hero attempts to earn a spot in the surf and respect among the locals, even if it drives him mad.

The Surfer was one of two films to play at MSPIFF in the Midnight Mayhem category, a late night showing of wildly unusual films that also included the upcoming A24 film Friendship, and after seeing the film, I can completely understand it qualifying for Midnight Mayhem. It’s a wonderfully absurd descent into madness led by a performer who can squeeze the most out of the premise. Oftentimes feeling like The Lighthouse with a beach setting, Cage is able to energize the screen with his presence as he falls further and further into bad luck, like a more unhinged take on Curb Your Enthusiasm. At its heart, though, there is a deeply personal story of a father and son who do not want the same thing. Cage’s surfer is trying to recapture a lost youthfulness that he can no longer cling to, and he pushes that on his son instead of trying to meet him on his level.

Cage is terrific, but I have to single out Julian McMahon as Scally, the leader of the beach. McMahon plays Scally like a cult leader, complete with colorful towel robe and gleaming stare, and yet, he’s just so likable that you understand why everyone is siding with him over Cage. McMahon has been a consistently underused talent in recent years, and I’m so happy to see him playing Scally with such an energetic and concerning flair.

Director Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium) has a nice handle on the film, presenting increasingly escalating tension from seemingly mundane elements. I found his ability to display a possible solve to each of Cage’s problems before twisting them further to be excellently handled. One example occurs when Cage’s phone is about to die, so he requests help from a local shop to charge it, but when he returns, the phone is gone, and the shopkeeper seems not to remember him at all. From there, Cage is certain he gave the shopkeeper the phone, but did he really, or is he experiencing “too much sun?”

The Surfer may prove unwieldy to some viewers, but I found its wavelength thoroughly captivating and enjoyable. With a strong lead from Cage and a standout foil in Julian McMahon alongside some incredible tension and confusion from Finnegan’s directing, this one is a real winner. While some of it falls apart in the climax, The Surfer still earns a solid recommendation, worthy of its drug trip aesthetics.

3.5/5
-Kyle A. Goethe