Nicolas Cage starrer The Surfer releases first trailer

Nicolas Cage channels his unhinged acting style in the new trailer for The Surfer, a psychological thriller that premiered at the 2024 Cannes.

The actor returns with another terrifying suspenseful thriller after starring as a psychopathic killer in Osgood Perkins' Longlegs. The Surfer brings Cage to the screen as an unnamed father who travels to his Australian homeland with his teenage son.

The film's official synopsis 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."

The newly released trailer shows Cage's character arriving at an Australian beach with his son. Cage dons an Aussie accent when the locals make his character feel unwelcome in his childhood town. Whether teens or adults, they test his patience as he grows increasingly tense in the sun-bathed landscapes.

The film comes from Irish filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan, known for Eva Green-led Nocebo and Jesse Eisenberg-led Vivarium. Thomas Martin has written the film's screenplay. His other writing credits include Apple TV+'s Prime Target, Sky Atlantic's Tin Star, and BBC's Ripper Street.

Julian McMahon, Justin Rosniak, Alexander Bertrand, Nic Cassim, and Finn Little co-star with Cage in this thriller backed by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions.

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The Surfer trailer shows Nicolas Cage in a psychotic rage-fueled mode

The Surfer premiered at the Midnight Section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Soon, it will have its North American premiere at the SXSW (South by Southwest) festival on March 10. It received mainly positive reviews upon its Cannes premiere.

Peter Howell from the Toronto Star says,

"Funny, disturbing, and disarming, The Surfer is the best thing Cage has done in years."

Xan Brooks from The Guardian writes,

"As his humiliations pile up, [Nicolas] Cage rises brilliantly to the challenge, cranking the acting dial from befuddled to vexed to outraged to volcanic. The effort is such that one half-fears for his safety. The man’s face is so red you could practically fry an egg on his forehead."

When speaking about Nicolas Cage's performance, Leslie Felperin from The Hollywood Reporter states,

"Cage injects a whiff of barely controlled desperation into the early scenes, suggesting this surfer may be less put together than the cream suit and silver Lexus suggest."

The Surfer is scheduled to be in theaters from May 2, 2025.