Lorcan Finnegan’s “The Surfer,” which will be screened at the Taormina Film Festival after its Cannes premiere, is one of the most acclaimed films of the year. A strange mix of Kafka and Oz exploits, it features Cage’s late-stage performance and a psychological comedy that feels darker because of its sunny setting. The Irish director of “Vivarium” and “Nocebo” spoke with diverse While the Mediterranean Sea shimmered dramatically in the distance.
Were you familiar with the surfing culture before filming the movie?
I wouldn't describe myself as a surfer, I'm more of a skateboarder, so I didn't know much about the culture. I never liked the toxic masculinity stuff, but I didn't want to reject something just because I didn't know anything about it. It's an interesting challenge.
Why did you choose Australia as a backdrop?
The movie was supposed to be set in California, but I pictured Australia. I've been there a few times to shoot commercials and stuff. I also have a deep love for the Australian New Wave movies: “Wake in Fright,” “The Long Weekend,” “Walkabout.” Some of the best of those movies were made by people outside Australia, like Ted Kotcheff, who made “Wake in Fright,” who's Canadian, and Nick Roeg, who's British, of course. Peter Weir's “The Last Wave,” especially the ending, was also an influence on “The Surfer.”
When did Nic Cage get involved?
Once we decided that the character was American, we thought about it very early on. We had this opportunity where we didn’t want it to be too hot, so we were setting up in the Australian spring to shoot just in early summer. His availability was good. We took a risk and sent him the script. Oddly enough, he had seen “Vivarium” and “Nocebo” and loved them. He read the script and said, “Oh, I see. It’s Kafka.” He was completely immersed in the material. We jumped on Zoom, had a chat and got along great.
What did he add to the movie?
Once he joined us, we did several script revisions over several months. All of his ideas were great. They were simple ideas, but they were actually improved and became his own. During the shoot, we got to know each other and we would laugh together. We have a similar rhythm. We like to work fast.
So who brought the mouse? [‘The Surfer’ includes a scene with a dead rat destined to join the pantheon of classic Cage memes.]
It's a funny story. We did the scene where he kills the mouse. Nick was so attached to the mouse tool. The art department kept asking him to give it back, and he was like, “No, I want to keep it in my pocket.” He was in character, and he was thinking about keeping it, because it was the only little piece of food he had. And then what was he going to do with it? In the end?
Chekhov's mouse?
Exactly. Nick remembered this scene in Humphrey Bogart's “Sabrina” where a man takes an olive and shoves it into his uncle's mouth and says, “You eat the olive.”
Is this a tribute to Billy Wilder?
Sort of. Nick came up with a lot of ideas. The scene where he was babbling about having a nice family dinner on the terrace with pasta puttanesca and oysters, for example. We did a couple of shots where we cleared the whole space because we were shooting on 8mm and super wide. People had to hide in cars while the camera was rolling around. He wasn't even sure what he was going to say next. He tapped into his inner shaman, and it was amazing. Some amazing stuff came out. He got bitten by a snake.
OK what?
We have a scene with the snake, where it goes through his hand. Nick is familiar with reptiles, so he wanted to handle it himself. But it was late at night, and it wasn't moving very strongly. I asked the trainer – who was right behind Nick – if there was anything we could do to make it move more. She said, “Tickle its tail.” So Nick tickled the tail and the thing. [mimes snake attack] It was bleeding! It was non-venomous. “Oh my God,” Nick said. “Oh yeah, if you tickle them, they can get very aggressive and bite,” the trainer said.
Would you like to work with him again?
Yes, we hope so. We're looking at a few things.
What then?
We're shooting a movie in Greece next spring called “Goliath,” which I've been developing for a few years. It's a dystopian fairy tale set in the near future. It's about creating monsters to start wars and steal natural resources. But from a fairy tale perspective.
