The Surfer

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2:24

The Surfer

R

Released May 2

1h 43m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

167 Reviews

46%

Popcornmeter

250+ Verified Ratings

In the psychological thriller directed by Lorcan Finnegan, a man returns to the idyllic beach of his childhood to surf with his son. But his desire to hit the waves is thwarted by a group of locals whose mantra is "don't live here, don't surf here." Humiliated and angry, the man is drawn into a conflict that keeps rising in concert with the punishing heat of the summer and pushes him to his breaking point.

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Critics Consensus

Nicolas Cage expertly rides the waves of toxic masculinity in this sand filled arena of torment.

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Audience Says

While the story is too flat for most to ride, Nicolas Cage beguiles as The Surfer, and the iconic Australian backdrop makes for a stunning screensaver.

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Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

...although there should be a moral in [the plot] somewhere, the result is so risible and Cage’s performance so ridiculous that all you can do is laugh.

Rated: 2/5

May 14, 2025

Full Review

Mark Kermode

Kermode and Mayo's Take (YouTube)

Cosmic philosophizing turns into something kind of like Iron John toxic masculinity with a little Dostoevsky's The Devils... Freakingly bonkers.

May 14, 2025

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Maxwell Rabb

Chicago Reader

The film is full of recycled commentary on the dangers of hypermasculinity, but it doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not—just ride the wave, and you’ll have a good time.

May 12, 2025

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Dionar Hidalgo

Algo Más Que Cine

A deliriously unhinged B-thriller, The Surfer rides the wave of Nicolas Cage’s manic energy. Though thematically scattered, its chaotic dive into masculinity, identity, and madness is oddly compelling — a sunburned fever dream that sometimes hits hard.

Rated: 7/10

Jul 25, 2025

Full Review

Maxance Vincent

FlickSided

Cage tries his best to salvage as much as possible from a project that exploits his talents well but doesn’t give him as much to work with as some of his best efforts.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 25, 2025

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Tim Miller

Cape Cod Wave Magazine

Director Lorcan Finnegan and a feverish Cage build tension to an almost unbearable degree. But the awfulness of it all goes on and on – I mean, how many times can you endure seeing a big, moist turd in a drinking fountain before you say, “No more!”?

Rated: 2/4

Jul 22, 2025

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Tim

Just Wow! lol This one will leave you thinking. Cage is awesome in this roll, completely out of his mind in the best kind of way!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/29/25

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Sam

I like that it was filmed in Australia but it basically took place in the same area the whole movie. It ended to quickly and the end was not good.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/20/25

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Karo B

Very boring, makes no sense of his decisions. I left before the movie was over. It’s one of the worse movies I’ve seen!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

05/14/25

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Rob

Nicholas Cage is brilliant as always but the movie itself I found dull and weird.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

05/15/25

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Sean

Good atmosphere, wish Nick Cage Caged out more though, but overall a good movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/14/25

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Ben W

Interesting.. surprisingly palatable, in a way. Not just the abductions a movie that I thought I was going to see. Definitely had its twists and psychedelic trip scenes, but subverted that quickly.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/14/25

Full Review

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Lorcan Finnegan

Director

Nicolas Cage

The Surfer

Julian McMahon

Scally

Nicholas Cassim

The Bum

Miranda Tapsell

The Photographer

Alexander Bertrand

Pitbull

The Surfer: Movie Clip - My Board

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The Surfer: Exclusive Featurette - Eat the Rat

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The Surfer: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In the psychological thriller directed by Lorcan Finnegan, a man returns to the idyllic beach of his childhood to surf with his son. But his desire to hit the waves is thwarted by a group of locals whose mantra is "don't live here, don't surf here." Humiliated and angry, the man is drawn into a conflict that keeps rising in concert with the punishing heat of the summer and pushes him to his breaking point.

Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Producer: Leonora Darby, James Harris, Robert Connolly, James Grandison, Brunella Cocchiglia, Nicolas Cage, Nathan Klingher
Screenwriter: Thomas Martin
Distributor: Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions
Production Co: Arenamedia, Tea Shop Productions
Rating: R (Language|Drug Content|Sexual Material|Some Violence|Suicide)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 2, 2025, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 6, 2025
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.3M
Runtime: 1h 43m

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