The Surfer

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The Surfer

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1h 43m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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87%

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104 Reviews

44%

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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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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

Cage does go all in, but remains in control and never fully succumbs to overdone theatrics as in the recent past. It’s a performance that makes his unnamed “surfer” sad, tortured, pathetic, relatable and redeemable.

Rated: 2.5/4

May 2, 2025

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Peter Sobczynski

RogerEbert.com

A strange and not entirely successful cinematic freak-out that has its moments thanks to another unique turn from Cage.

Rated: 2/4

May 2, 2025

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Nick Schager

The Daily Beast

Cage makes a meal of it, attuning himself to director Lorcan Finnegan’s wacked-out frequency to deliver another tour-de-force of grief, regret, anguish, and seriously psychotic fury.

May 2, 2025

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Kiko Martinez

The Cinesnob Podcast

An imperfect psychological thriller that says some interesting things about grief, regret and social isolation. Plus, giving Nicolas Cage a few more layers to play with beside screaming into the void is always more satisfying.

Rated: B-

May 5, 2025

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Andrea Chase

Killer Movie Reviews

It is the kind of film for which Nicolas Cage was gifted to us by the universe. If for no other reason, it's more than worth seeing just to bask in the mannerist magnificence of a performance rooted in reality but transcending the bonds of verisimilitude.

Rated: 5/5

May 4, 2025

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Carla Hay

Culture Mix

The Surfer evokes a moody fever dream where the protagonist is an unreliable narrator. This psychological thriller (about a man in conflict with a group of menacing surfers) is suspenseful but might be too weird or confusing for some viewers.

May 2, 2025

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B m

Loved the psychological aspects of the film but was cut rather short, wish it was built up longer. Otherwise, excellent movie!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

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chad

Different and very entertaining

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

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Wayne

Terrible movie. Hard to keep up with and too many close up facial pictures

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

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See A Lot

This is a very strange film. It wasn't terrible but it was pointless.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

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JULIE S

The plot of the movie was very confusing . It was difficult to know what was really happening or what could have been a figment of the lead characters imagination. Most of the movie was unbelievable . Supposedly the main character grew up in in Australia and moved to California when he was 15 but Nicholas Cage sounded like typical Nicholas Cage with a NY accent!

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

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Coleen T

Actually, a really cool Nic Cage film!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

Full Review

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Lorcan Finnegan

Director

Nicolas Cage

The Surfer

Julian McMahon

Scally

Nicholas Cassim

The Bum

Miranda Tapsell

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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 (Some Violence|Drug Content|Sexual Material|Language|Suicide)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 2, 2025, Wide
Runtime: 1h 43m

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