Roadside Attractions debuted the official trailer for The Surfer, the thriller film starring Nicolas Cage as a man returning to the beach of his childhood to surf with his son, but is drawn into a conflict with a group of powerful locals.

Also starring in the movie are Julian McMahon, Nic Cassim, Miranda Tapsell, Alexander Bertrand, and Justin Rosniak.

Directed by Lorcan Finnegan The Surfer world premiered in the Midnight Screenings at Cannes Film Festival and opens in theaters nationwide on May 2, 2025.

In the psychological thriller directed by Lorcan Finnegan, 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.

In their review, the Guardian gave the film 4 of 5 stars, describing it as, “a gloriously demented B-movie thriller about a middle-aged man who wants to ride a big wave and the grinning local bullies who regard the beach as home soil.”

Dread Central review gave the film a grade of 3 of 5 stars, and wrote, “It’s also difficult to deny the cool factor of a Christmastime thriller set on an Australian beach with retro sensibilities. The Surfer is a decent film for the most part. It keeps the audience guessing about what is real and what is not. The film is an exercise in empathy and understanding that takes a scenic route through the thriller subgenre.”

Watch the trailer for The Surfer