Nicolas Cage stars as a nameless man whose surfboard gets stolen. Cage’s antihero is going to do everything to get his precious property back. No matter the circumstances or the challenges. 

Enter The Surfer (Nicolas Cage) who arrives with his son (Finn Little) (in the film called “The Kid”) on the idyllic beach of his childhood. It was here he once surfed with his father. Now, after so many years, Cage’s character wants to pass on the tradition and teach his son the entire act of entering the seas. However, their plans are soon interrupted by a group of mysterious localists, reminding us of a group of fanatics taken straight out of Fight Club. 

When they steal The Surfer’s main artefact, his beloved surfboard, his descent into madness commences, leaving only chaos behind. Because, they don’t do only that: they laugh at him, oppress him and also terrorise him, through many tiny actions. This is why Radek Ładczuk’s cinematography is, to say the least, an intensification of The Surfer’s mess of a head. 

By surfing together, the man wanted to reclaim some of his son’s respect. Now, he is unable to even do that; instead, he feels barely clothed, stripped of his own masculinity. While becoming more and more desperate, the Surfer will soon go full berserk to have his revenge.

Ultimately, The Surfer is a tiny gem of a film. Although we can easily classify it as another flick with “Nicolas Cage”, it has some sharp-edged audacity in his performance, ready to harm not only the audience’s souls, but also the main hero’s heart and his body. Cage moves between the desperation of a man and a father’s wardship on the turn of a dime, exchanging his acting when the script tells him to. 

The film has scope, a clear sense of place (Australia) and personal history (a lot about fatherhood will be told), and the unmistakable glimmers of Lynchian outer worlds. And, all of it is bolstered by the psychedelic vistas from our Polish best. Therefore, this rollercoaster through Australia’s hell is a joyride that won’t leave the audience indifferent. 

Photo: Vertigo Releasing

4/5 stars

Author: Jan Tracz