Cannes: Nicolas Cage's 'The Surfer' earns a six-minute standing ovation
What's the story
Nicolas Cage's latest psychological thriller, The Surfer, received a six-minute standing ovation during a midnight screening at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival on Friday night.
The 60-year-old Hollywood actor basked in the warm reception, smiling broadly and waving to the cheering crowd.
Engaging with his audience, Cage asked how to say "eat the rat" in French, a line from his film, and then shouted "mangez le rat!" much to their delight.
Film synopsis
A brief look at 'The Surfer' plot and cast details
Directed by Lorcan Finnegan, known for Vivarium, The Surfer features Cage as a man revisiting the tranquil beach of his youth to surf with his son.
The plot thickens as he finds himself belittled by influential locals and entangled in a conflict that intensifies with the harsh summer heat, pushing him to his limits.
The film's star-studded cast comprises Julian McMahon, Nicholas Cassim, Miranda Tapsell, Alexander Bertrand, Justin Rosniak, Rahel Romahn, Finn Little, and Charlotte Maggi.
Twitter Post
Take a look at this clip
Nicolas Cage bellows “Eat the Rat” in French at THE SURFER world premiere (and also claims he tried to get PIG into #Cannes) pic.twitter.com/0wA2e7wlxe
— Alex Ritman (@alexritman) May 18, 2024
Career trajectory
Cage's history in Cannes
This is not Cage's first time at Cannes.
The Academy Award winner previously attended the festival for David Lynch's 1990 romantic crime drama Wild at Heart, in which he starred opposite Laura Dern.
To note, this film controversially won the festival's esteemed Palme d'Or.
In 2016, he returned with Willem Dafoe for Paul Schrader's film Dog Eat Dog, premiering in the Directors Fortnight section.
Upcoming ventures
No retirement in sight for Cage
Despite indicating last year that he plans to retire from film after making "three or four more movies," Cage has a busy slate ahead, featuring the horror film Longlegs and the newly announced Western The Gunslingers.
Cage also expressed a desire to focus more on TV, and he will be doing just that by reprising his Spider-Man noir role in a live-action series for MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video.