Synopsis:
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.
My Edition:
Library copy (Blu ray)
My Thoughts:
Ah, delicious Oz-sploitation. I love you so much. With the opening strains of the film’s stellar soundtrack (there’s some really ethereal theremin business going on) I think both me and my partner were locked in. Sure this movie was going to be great. And it was. It was everything I wanted it to be. It had strong exploitation vibes (although it’s not ultra-violent, in case you’re wondering). The whole movie is a kind of dreamy mindfuck. It keeps the viewer wondering what exactly is going on, and how much worse it can get for The Surfer.
While I think the synopsis does a great job of letting you know what you’re in for, I want to expand on it in one area – I find it utterly fascinating the way The Surfer weaves the toxicity of the manosphere into the story. It integrates perfectly, and it gives the whole thing a sort of Folk Horror feel. And boy are you going to hate the main antagonist. He is pretty much the absolute worst. But also not really over-the-top. He’s somehow both completely believable and the actual worst human being.
The Surfer will keep you completely off balance in the best possible way. You’ll spend the whole movie trying to figure out what is real and what isn’t. The line between reality and fantasy blurs frequently. Sanity is not a given. Like many of it’s Oz-sploitation predecessors, The Surfer uses the blazing Australian sun to blur those lines for the viewer.
Rating:
I really can’t recommend The Surfer enough. I was so excited to write about it here, until I realized that I can’t really talk about what I want to without delving into major spoiler territory. So now I’m less excited with what I’ve written. -_-
But I think that everyone should run out and see this movie. It’s so good.
The Surfer
Written by: Thomas Martin
Directed by: Lorcan Finnegan
Lionsgate
US Release Date: May 2, 2025
Rated: R
100 Minutes
