Lorcan Finnegan is an intriguing director, to say the least. The filmmaker uses surreal storytelling to convey levels of tragedy, self-discovery, and just plain f**ked situations. Yet, the man knows how to make what’s on-screen visually pleasing without dropping LSD. Finnegan decided to continue his trademark style and combine it with the wildcard acting of Nicolas Cage for his recent movie, The Surfer. For the most part, the film works and can be a serious mind trip; however, that doesn’t completely cover up the movie’s faults.
The Surfer, directed by Finnegan, follows The Surfer, which Cage plays. Written by Thomas Martin, The Surfer returns to his childhood beach neighborhood, hoping to reconnect with his son at the beach with some surfing. When The Surfer encounters some locals, the film takes a whirlwind of conflict, past trauma, and straight WTF moments.
Martin’s writing works for a good chunk of the movie. Martin lays out pieces of The Surfer’s life throughout the film in a way that keeps the story engaging. The main character’s regrets, reconnecting with loved ones, and finding home again were similar things we’d all explored. Martin brings that common human journey out at an even pace that helps The Surfer flow smoothly. It allowed me to feel connected with Cage’s character from the start, but it didn’t beat me over the head with its underlying message.
That underlying message is tacked on well with another portion of the story beats.
The Surfer’s antagonist comes in the form of the Scally, played by Julian McMahon. The surf guru seems to have all the love and respect that The Surfer once had. Yet, there’s something more sinister with Scally—this is where the script becomes more elevated. Scally develops into an allegory for social media personalities the likes of Andrew Tate, Jordan Peterson, and others in the “manosphere.”
Martin uses enough subtext to explore this notion in the film to let his ideas slip in and connect. Scally has this legion of young men treating him as their Christ-like figure, and the guy puts on his humble hoody and accepts it. The antagonist discusses topics like men losing their masculinity, being seen as weak, and needing to be broken down to be put back together in an ideal way. However, these men become the embodiment of toxic masculinity and use that torture in violence. All under the guise of “boys will be boys.” It’s an excellent showcase of Martin’s writing and is easily topical.
Another worthwhile aspect of The Surfer is Finnegan’s direction.
The filmmaker’s style perfectly matches the Surf and Beach Party film genre’s late 60s and early 70s aesthetic. Finnegan uses the same zoom and lens techniques to make the movie a throwback to the era while adding his flair. There are several moments in The Surfer where the reality I saw is questioned. It puts me in the mindset of Cage’s character as his mind slowly breaks over time. The director even started bringing in the idea of The Surfer and another character possibly being the same person.
That opened the possibility of Cage doing what he does best.
Cage’s acting is legendary in film. The actor can play serious, funny, chill, or maddening at the snap of the finger. Cage can find balance in the role, but Finnegan’s direction and Martin’s writing permit Cage to fine-tune the performance. The performance won’t win any awards; however, The Surfer isn’t looking for that. It’s looking for a way to bring the audience in on the psychedelic trip and dive into madness.
Although most of the movie deserves a fair amount of praise, the 3rd Act is when the film begins to drop in value.
Specific points lead to the movie’s tail end, which drags on too long. A strong case for this is when Scally’s followers torture The Surfer. Most scenes and actions go on for too long, to an annoying level. I grew tired of the torturous nature of the main character’s experience and thought the creatives had made their point long ago. The time spent on this could’ve been utilized to help the final part of the movie stick the landing.
The final 10-15 minutes felt rushed. There’s an angle the movie takes that piqued my interest, but the credits started to roll when The Surfer began to get interesting again. The film takes this route by exposing Scally and how The Surfer starts to reconnect with his son. It felt like even Martin was just done writing the story and badly wanted everything to end.
I can picture The Surfer becoming appreciative over time and maybe even cult-like status. Finnegan continues to explore his methodology in storytelling, and I believe his recognition will grow over time. Cage shows no sign of slowing down and will hopefully keep pursuing these types of filmmakers and scripts. Despite the minor imperfections, The Surfer is still worth a watch, but just be prepared for some wipeouts…not sorry for the pun.