SXSW: ‘The Surfer’ Takes Its Audience On A Wild, Very Nicolas Cage Ride

Don’t live here, don’t surf here. This is the often repeated mantra barked at Nicolas Cage’s titular character in The Surfer (2025), easily one of the best films to show at the 2025 SXSW Film and Television Festival. Directed by Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium) is a paranoid blast, a blend of dark comedy and psychedelia that puts its protagonist through the ringer for a wholly original take on toxic masculinity.

All The Surfer (Nicolas Cage) wants to do is take his son (Finn Little) to hit the waves at a cherished surf spot in Australia. Unfortunately for him, the “Bay Boys,” locals that control the area, are hostile to the perceived outsiders despite The Surfer having grown up in the area.

Refusing to take no for an answer, he camps out in the parking lot. As his attempts to get to his coveted surf spot grow more futile and he comes into contact with Bay Boys leader Scally (Julian McMahon), The Surfer becomes privy to their cult-like activities. However, as he starts losing one possession after another, enduring indignity after indignity, the question of his own sanity and connection to the area comes into play.

Nicolas Cage is famous for going “full Cage,” displaying an over-the-top nature that few actors even attempt. It takes The Surfer (2025) a while to get there. Cage starts off subtly as a broken man simply trying to provide a fresh start for himself and his son. Once the audience buys in, Cage ever so slowly puts his foot on the gas. As he’s continually harassed and berated by the Bay Boys, The Surfer starts to deteriorate. He goes from the reserved, struggling father to practically a feral hermit. Due to Cage’s full commitment to the slow burn, his performance serves as a terrific magic trick.

The Bay Boys are the perfect antagonists for The Surfer (2025). They’re loud, brash people whose territorial nature goes way beyond the understandable. Behaviors exhibited by the Bay Boys resemble toxic frat boy antics. Their leader, Scally, as portrayed by Julian McMahon, is the exact type of leader one can imagine these boys buying into. McMahon brings an Alpha Male, Andrew Tate-style influencer kind of vibe. It’s easy to see, with his soft-spoken nature and ripped build, how Scally could get the area under his command. His aphorisms espouse concerning views about what it means to be a man.

The Surfer (2025) rides the thin line between reality and fantasy.

Screenwriter Thomas Martin accentuates the already hilariously threatening aura of the Bay Boys by showing how they have their fingers in the community. Everyone from a police officer (Justin Rosniak) to a real estate agent (Rahel Romahn) seems to be in the pocket of the Bay Boys. Only a homeless man (Nic Cassim) seems to be The Surfer’s ally. Lorcan Finnegan wisely plays The Surfer (2025) close to his chest.

Much like Midsommar director Ari Aster’s Beau is Afraid, Finnegan leaves it intentionally vague for a while as to whether or not the titular role’s constant struggle is partially in his head or not. The amount The Surfer has to put up with stretches credulity, blasting off into the realm of a live-action cartoon. Cinematographer Radek Ladczuk shifts the aesthetic of the sun-bathed beaches and crystal blue water to something more sinister as François Tétaz’s score grows more discordant. Riding that line of reality and fantasy is hard, yet The Surfer (2025) reaches pure psychedelia in its pursuit.

The Surfer (2025)’s answers about what’s going on are shockingly satisfying. The themes of fathers and sons, toxic masculinity, and community all coalesce in a way that just feels right. Unfortunately, while not quite hitting a sour note, the film’s actual ending feels prolonged and over-explaining—going too far beyond the natural ending point.

That in no way diminishes what The Surfer (2025) is trying to do. The Surfer (2025) is a hell of a ride, taking audiences through a ridiculous rivalry between a man who just wants to surf and the men who refuse to let him do so. Rich with thematic material and even richer in performances and aesthetic flourishes, Nicolas Cage’s streak of choosing interesting projects that push him as a performer continues.

The Surfer (2025) had its U.S. premiere at the SXSW Film and Television Festival on March 9. The film is due to be released by Roadside Attractions on May 2.