The Surfer is a movie that demands extended thought and discussion. It’s unclear if the narrative is meant to be presenting the truth, or if part of what we are seeing through the eyes of the character is a result of him losing his grip on reality. The finale is a puzzle. If the plot is meant to depict in-universe reality, then there are events that make no sense. If what we see is real, then this boils down to Lord of the Flies with Bay Boys vs the surfer. Redemption, when it comes (if it’s real), is a bizarre and nonsensical moment. This all may be delusion.
The beach cult around Scally is perhaps a comment on incel culture. These are man-children defending turf violently and worshipping their guru with a religious fervor. There are few women around them, and Scally leads them in a ritual in which he exhorts them to a feral manhood which either depicts women as cruel subjugators of male power, or as helpless girls to be preyed upon. Scally himself seems to be in a relationship with an underaged girl. The Bay Boys have a wild energy that would fit in the world of Mad Max. At any moment, it feels like you might see Max walking out of the heat shimmer to help you find the precious gasoline in the wasteland. There are other takes and theories one could spin about the plot, and none of them are necessarily wrong. How you see this movie will say more about you than the film itself.
“…If ‘you can’t go home again’ was a movie…”
The other heartbreaking element of The Surfer is the passionate pain the man feels about his life. His wife wants a divorce. His son views him with pity and contempt. Despite the outward trappings of wealth, he is a hollow soul driven by the trauma of his early life to get back to the point where it was possible to fix it. If “you can’t go home again” was a movie… it would be this one.
Not enough can be said about Cage’s performance. He truly has shaken off all pretense of self-consciousness and can just go “full send” on playing frustrated hysteria and sheer unabashed lunacy. He is simply unmatched and fearless in this type of role. He has elevated shrieking madness to pure art. There’s an unforgettable moment with a dead rat that has already had a lot of attention. The Surfer is a must-not-miss film. Then hit the bar with your mates and talk it through. What did you see?
"…an over the top, must not miss film"
