"The Surfer" Trailer: Nicolas Cage Faces Off Against Territorial Surfers in Sun-Soaked Australian Thriller

Nicolas Cage plays a father returning to his childhood beach—only to spark a violent surf war in this Australian psychological thriller.

If we’ve learned anything from classic surfing movies like Point Break and Big Wednesday, it’s that surfing isn’t just a sport—it’s a way of life, a spiritual philosophy. And for hardcore surfers, where you surf is just as important as the act itself.

At the same time, if we’ve learned anything from classic Nicolas Cage revenge movies, it’s that there’s only so much Cage can take before he blows his top and unleashes the full force of Cage Rage. And when he does, you’d best be far, far away—because he’s bound to take out anyone in his immediate vicinity.

With that in mind, here’s the official trailer for The Surfer, a new Australian-set surfing film that initially seems like a heartfelt story about a father (Nicolas Cage) trying to reconnect with his estranged teenage son (Yellowstone’s Finn Little) through their shared love of surfing on Australia’s stunning, sun-drenched beaches.

But things take a turn when father and son attempt to surf at a local beach—a spot Cage’s character once frequented as a kid—only to be met with hostility from a gang of territorial Australian surfers. What starts as a simple, passive-aggressive dispute over who belongs where and whether certain parts of a public beach are off-limits to outsiders quickly escalates. Tempers flare. Egos clash. And before you know it, Cage’s character—now feeling deeply emasculated in front of his son—finds himself locked in a full-blown turf war with the local surfers.

But here’s the thing—Cage’s character was a hardcore surfer in his youth. Despite how he looks now, he can handle a surf beef. But push him too hard, too fast… and, well, they just might have woken a sleeping giant. And once the Cage Rage is unleashed, no one is safe from his wrath.

Irish-born filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan directs this psychological surfing thriller. Finnegan previously helmed 2019’s Twilight Zone-esque thriller Vivarium, starring Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg as a couple trapped in a surreal suburban nightmare. Now, he brings his signature eerie, unsettling style to the sun-soaked beaches of Australia.

The Surfer also stars Australian actor Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck) as the leader of the surfer gang, along with Nic Cassim, Miranda Tapsell, Alexander Bertrand, Justin Rosniak, Rahel Romahn, and Charlotte Maggi.

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year during its Midnight Screenings section, earning mostly positive reviews from critics. Here are a few reactions:

"Funny, disturbing, and disarming, The Surfer is the best thing Cage has done in years."
— Peter Howell, Toronto Star

"It really is a midnight movie—the kind of trippy, slapdash comic nightmare where the only way to watch it is to sit back and ‘go with it.’ Cage makes that easy to do."
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

"The Surfer features Nicolas Cage’s best performance of the year."
— Sharai Bohannon, Dread Central

"Everything about The Surfer’s one-line pitch sounds ridiculous, but the film itself is a haunting set piece about localism, repressed memory, and toxic masculinity, boasting the wild ride we've come to associate with Cage."
— Shannon Connellan, Mashable

Written by Thomas Martin, The Surfer is set to hit theaters on May 2nd. Watch the trailer above.

Here’s the official synopsis:

In the psychological thriller directed by Lorcan Finnegan, a man (Nicolas Cage) 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.