The Surfer is one of the most frustrating movies I have ever watched. It’s not frustrating in a bad way necessarily, but that’s the feeling that permeates over the film. It’s a nicely shot movie about Nicolas Cage’s character trying to buy his childhood home in Australia. From there, he tries surfing the local beach with his son and runs into locals who are hostile to say the least. They steal his surfboard It all goes from there to what amounts to a boys club of locals that Cage tries to infiltrate and get his board back.

It’s safe to say that this is a strange film. Between artistic shots of local animals and the coastline, it’s interrupted with a descent into madness from Cage. The Surfer also stars Finn Little as Cage’s kid, Nicholas Cassim as The Bum, someone who has a past with Scally, and Julian McMahon as Scally, who leads the local gang. That local gang is among the most frustrating aspects of The Surfer. They’re awful people. Needlessly cruel, who just make Cage’s time in the film absolutely miserable. The performers all do a magnificent job being awful people. McMahon’s character is part cult leader, and part charismatic bro-y guy/Andrew Tate-type, There’s also Cassim’s character of The Bum, who seemingly morphs with Cage at points.

There’s themes of toxic masculinity, fear, anxiety, nostalgia, and homelessness that pervade throughout. Society is set up against people, this boys club that Scally runs can be a metaphor for how people get shut out because they don’t know the right people or aren’t born in the right place.

The other frustrating aspect of The Surfer is from Cage’s character. They make the wrong choice at just about every turn in the film. While you’re sitting there screaming in your head for him to just give it up about the surfboard, he doesn’t. When one of the locals steals his phone, you’re begging him to just leave and he doesn’t. All of that frustration comes to a head and actually ends up mattering in the third act of the film, so it’s not just a strange wrinkle; it matters.

Nicolas Cage’s descent in this film is the reason to see it. He goes from a rich yuppie trying to buy a house to a stammering, anxiety-ridden man. He takes so much mental punishment, from gaslighting, to just a bunch of crappy teenagers ruining an important phone call he’s supposed to have. The only thing that brings him any sort of hope is the thought that he could eventually ride the waves of his youth.

It’s a dreamy, comedic way that it goes about it though. Like those dreams that suddenly turn into nightmares on a dime, it goes from nightmare back to dream near the end of the film. There’s a place where it feels like The Surfer could go into ridiculousness, but it course corrects. Unless of course you’re talking about a point where a dead rat from Nicolas Cage’s pocket gets used as a weapon.

That weaponization of nostalgia on display is what drives The Surfer and Cage’s The Surfer. He yearns for the feelings of his youth and goes through hellish trials and tribulations to get it done.

The Surfer ends up as a beautiful film that might frustrate people a bit too much. All the frustrations make the film though and you’re left with sort of those vibes as the waves of the film come over you. Nicolas Cage puts on a great performance alongside Julian McMahon in this Australian tale of locals and surf.

The Surfer releases in theaters on May 2nd.

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