LOS ANGELES (AP) — Within the Gospel of Mark, Jesus asks his followers a rhetorical query: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” That is requested of Nicolas Cage’s titular character in “The Surfer.”
For the unnamed protagonist, his coronary heart’s want — and the factor he thinks will remedy his ever-mounting issues — is to buy his late father’s house, which sits atop an idyllic cliffside alongside the coast of Australia.
The movie’s setting is decidedly trendy — Cage pulls up in a Lexus, pays for a espresso together with his telephone and tries repeatedly to safe funds for the $1.7 million home — which stands in stark distinction to the age-old questions on tribalism, revenge and familial trauma probed in Lorcan Finnegan’s claustrophobic thriller.
Forward of the Roadside Sights launch on Friday, Cage and Finnegan spoke with The Related Press concerning the movie’s surrealism, why violence is “one of the backbones of cinema” and the way Humphrey Bogart impressed a scene the place Cage shoves a rat in somebody’s face. The interview has been edited for readability and brevity.
AP: Nicolas, final time we spoke, you talked about how Hollywood thinks naturalism is the arbiter of nice appearing however that you just admire when you’ll be able to discover different varieties. The place does that impulse stem from?
CAGE: It was a sense of not eager to get trapped or calcified within the realm of paintings and considering that the artwork that I admired in painters like Francis Bacon or in music, a variety of it was surrealistic. And so for my part, if there’s such a factor as artwork synthesis, why can’t you do it with appearing? You are able to do it with appearing, but it surely nonetheless has to land with the director and with the script in such a manner the place it strikes the story ahead and doesn’t grow to be self-indulgent. It must be a twist and a singular level of expression that evolves the story.
So how do you try this? Nicely, if the man’s dropping his thoughts, that’s a method. Then you may get a bit extra summary with facial expressions or voice. Or if the man is on medicine, that’s a method, like “Bad Lieutenant.” On this case, the surfer is having a little bit of a breakdown. It solely stands to purpose in a pure, genuine manner that he would shriek-eat the rat and shove it into some man’s mouth as a result of it’s been earned. However that’s to not say that the naturalism of the ’70s isn’t nice. It’s nice. And that’s one thing I get pleasure from doing as nicely.
AP: Speak concerning the movie’s exploration of masculinity and tribalism.
FINNEGAN: To me, it wasn’t a movie about poisonous masculinity. I imply, there was parts of masculinity in disaster, and that’s one thing that does exist. However to me it was serving the story in a manner as a result of Nick’s character needed to have this counter on this Scally character (Julian McMahon). Nick’s character misplaced his father when he was younger and he was looking for some form of belonging and that’s why he was considering if he buys again this home and this materialistic objective will repair his relationship issues and stuff. So Julian’s character gives up one thing completely different. He’s form of seductive. If you wish to be in our gang and also you wish to be a part of this tradition, it’s a must to do all of these items.
I believe a variety of these figures on this planet of poisonous masculinity are a bit like that. They’re charming. A number of the time they’ve these philosophical concepts they usually’re well-read, so they appear very engaging to those guys who’re form of misplaced. So, I didn’t need the movie although to be about that, but it surely form of is baked into the entire story.
AP: Nicolas, you’ve accomplished your share of movies with violence in them. Is that one thing you have an interest in?
CAGE: As somebody who doesn’t like violence and actively tries to keep away from violence in my life, I might say that it appears to be one thing that lends itself to cinema. No matter will get an individual to that time of violence is normally fascinating and compelling drama, and that’s one of many backbones of cinema.
AP: Any scenes stand out as significantly difficult or enjoyable?
FINNEGAN: We found among the humor within the movie whereas making it. When did you consider protecting that rat? I don’t know for those who knew precisely what you had been planning but, but it surely was a mischievous form of percolation occurring in your thoughts.
CAGE: I went on a Billy Wilder tear earlier than I went to “The Surfer.” I used to be form of in mattress for a couple of days, and I used to be watching films I wished to compensate for and I noticed “Sabrina.” And within the film, Bogart pulls an olive out of a martini glass, and he shoves it in his uncle’s mouth and says, “Eat it.” And I couldn’t cease laughing. I believed it was the funniest factor. And I used to be simply tickled pink on my own late at evening watching it.
After which it got here again to me in Australia. I mentioned, “Well, I can use this rat for something.” And I tucked it in my pocket. Everybody’s taking a look at me like, what’s Nick doing with the prop rat? I mentioned, “Well, I think it’s funny because the tail is wobbling around. Let’s hold onto it. It’s a good prop. Maybe we can use it.” And certain sufficient, Bogart and Billy Wilder and “Sabrina” got here again and it was like “Eat the rat!” It’s a punk rock model of it, but it surely’s nonetheless impressed by Billy Wilder and Humphrey Bogart.
