The Surfer (2024)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A man's desperate attempt to purchase a beach house leads him into a grueling ordeal of endurance and local hostility.
The story
A man takes his teenage son to a beach to surf, hoping to secure a house he is desperate to buy. However, they are confronted by a group of local surf enthusiasts who protect the beach from outsiders. After being turned away, the man remains in the area, facing personal and professional pressures while dealing with the local gatekeepers. His determination to secure the property for his family leads to a tense standoff with the local community, as he struggles to maintain his resolve in the face of their hostility and the escalating tension of his situation.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The Surfer drives his son to Luna Bay to purchase a house that belonged to his father. They are confronted by Scally and a gang of localists. After being turned away, the man faces pressure from his real estate agent and his estranged wife. He encounters 'the Bum' in a parking lot, who claims Scally killed his son. After his surfboard is stolen and his car is vandalized, the man becomes stranded and delusional from heat and lack of food. He eventually finds his real estate agent, who mistakes him for a vagrant. He begins living in a station wagon, eventually discovering that his ordeal was a test by Scally to see if he was worthy of the house. Scally forces him to burn the station wagon as a final test. Finally, the man is allowed to surf, but is confronted by the Bum, who is armed. The man convinces the Bum to let them surf by returning a stolen necklace. As they paddle out, the Bum kills Scally and himself, mirroring the death of the man's father.
- First release year
- 2024
- Runtime (minutes)
- 100
- Production countries
- Australia
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Lorcan Finnegan
- Writers
- Thomas Martin · writer
- Cast and characters
- Nicolas Cage; Julian McMahon; Nic Cassim; Miranda Tapsell; Alexander Bertrand; Justin Rosniak
- Genres
- psychological thriller
- Themes
- obsession; fatherhood; tradition
- Tone and mood
- tense; demented
- Premise and plot tags
- survival; beach culture
- Source material / true-story basis
- Lunada Bay Boys
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews, with critics describing it as a 'gloriously demented B-movie thriller.'
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 29
- Awards and nominations
- ARIA Award · Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album · nomination; Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards · Best Supporting Actor · win
- Production trivia
- The film was inspired by the Lunada Bay Boys.; Julian McMahon's final film role before his death.; The film was premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…