Nicolas Cage Stars in “The Surfer” (Official Trailer)

The synopsis for The Surfer reads: “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.”

It's also being billed as a psychological thriller-comedy, featuring surreal elements. Some are even calling it Twilight Zone-esque. By the looks of the first trailer, it certainly does feel…weird. Hollywood has an unfortunate knack for failing to stick the landing when it comes to surfing. The tragic, 2015 remake of Point Break comes to mind. But perhaps, with Cage behind the lens, they could pull it off this time? If anything, the film looks like a wild and whacky ride. TBD on the surfing featured.

Critics, who saw the film premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, cite the craziness that comes with a Cage performance. Per Indiewire:

“For any time travelers from the early 2010s who still view Nicolas Cage as a meme resource above all else, there are plentiful wild moments that will no doubt go viral on social media with all traces of their tragic context removed. In one moment of desperation, his character contemplates feasting on a dead rat, before opting to instead store it in his pocket as his lone companion in the limbo of the car park. Despite all the rage, it is still just a rat and Nic Cage.”

The Surfer is set to hit theaters May 2nd.