The Surfer
★ ★ ★ ½
The Surfer stars Nicolas Cage as a successful businessman, who brings his young teen son—referred to only as The Kid (Finn Little) in the credits–to an idyllic beach town in Australia, where he was born. He’s hoping to buy his childhood home so The Kid can finish growing up on the same beach he did.
Cage’s character is never named. Like the film, he’s simply called The Surfer.
When The Surfer and The Kid arrive, they pull into a parking lot overlooking the beach and are immediately harassed by a surf gang claiming the spot is only for locals. The encounter rattles The Kid, but The Surfer reassures him it’s still a great place to grow up.
Nicolas Cage as The Surfer and Finn Little as The Kid
© 2025 Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions
The entire film takes place in the parking lot and on the beach itself. After the opening scenes, The Kid disappears from the story—he’s sent back to live with his mother, Helen (Brenda Meaney), The Surfer’s soon-to-be ex-wife. Following the gang confrontation, Helen calls to ask him to sign divorce papers—after Christmas. In The Surfer’s mind, buying this house was supposed to reunite his family, rekindle his marriage and strengthen his bond with The Kid.
His troubles begin when the home’s asking price jumps $100,000. From there, tensions escalate into an all-out psychological war with the gang. The conflict leads The Surfer towards a descent into madness. The gang strips him of his surfboard, phone, car and access to money. He begins to resemble The Bum (Nicholas Cassim), a disheveled, rambling man living out of a Subaru in the parking lot.
Nicolas Cage as The Surfer
© 2025 Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions
Scally (Julian McMahon) leads the gang and puts The Surfer through psychological hell. They’re so convincing, we question whether he’s being manipulated—or slipping into madness. If he’s being gaslit, the whole beach must be in on it. If he’s losing his mind, we might be seeing The Bum’s origin story.
Julian McMahon and Justin Rosniak
© 2025 Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions
Cage has made a career out of tortured souls, and he brings that same weight to The Surfer—earning our empathy, whether his struggle is real or imagined.
The big wave the film builds toward loses some of its impact by the final scenes. The ending lands but not cleanly. It invites interpretation, which may leave some viewers unsatisfied. The finale just isn’t quite as captivating as the setup.
It’s a well-made indie about a man chasing the past and trying to fix what’s broken. It doesn’t quite catch the big wave it promises—but it nearly does.
Rated: R for language, suicide, some violence, drug content and sexual material.
Running Time: 1h 43m
Directed by:Lorcan Finnegan
Written by: Thomas Martin
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Julian McMahon, Nicholas Cassim, Miranda Tapsell, Alexander Bertrand, Justin Rosniak, Rachel Romahn, Finn Little
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
