Netflix hit Adolescence has remained one of the most talked about shows of the year since its debut back in March.
Starring Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller, the father to 13-year-old Jamie (played by Owen Cooper) finds his world crumbling around him when his son is arrested for the murder of his female classmate.
The four-part drama was praised for its stark approach to hard-hitting topics such as the damaging effects of social media and the rising prevalence of violent misogyny amongst teenage boys.
For TV fans who were deeply affected by Adolescence and want to explore how toxic masculinity can manifest in older men, look no further than the latest thriller starring Nicolas Cage, The Surfer.
While this surreal descent into desperation for Cage’s unnamed protagonist returning to his Australian hometown and clashing with the locals appears to be a very different project on the surface, it captures the same themes as the Netflix hit with an exploration of male tribalism.
Cage’s character, seeking to buy back his childhood home and surf the beach with his son (played by Finn Little), immediately finds himself clashing with a group of cultish surfers led by the charismatic Scally (Julian McMahon), who models himself as a sort of male wellness guru.
Speaking exclusively to Express Online, director Lorcan Finnegan explained his inspiration for the unique antagonist, including alluding to controversial ‘manosphere’ media personality Andrew Tate, who is pointedly referenced in Adolescence.
“He’s an amalgamation of a lot of people like that,” Finnegan said. “Probably not as bad as Andrew Tate.
“He’s got a bit of Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson. There’s another guy called Tim Morrison, who’s a little bit more on the shaman side.
“There are a lot of these people who are self-help gurus that work in the corporate world and they bring people in on these retreats where they teach them how to get in touch with their inner-selves and masculinity.
“And then they go back to their jobs and fire 300 people, or something. So there’s this contrast between this spiritualism and corporate-capitalist mindset.”
While violence committed against women is not a major plot point in The Surfer, this unconventional thriller still explores how groups of men can form co-dependent mindsets that deliberately ostracise those they deem to be ‘outsiders’.
Cage’s character becomes a victim of their toxicity when their tormenting begins to strip away his identity.
“[Scally] was slightly based on those people, but Julian also made the character his own,” Finnegan continued. “He had ideas about his haircut and ways of speaking to these guys and having this kind of call and response.
“So, he plays the character very well where it’s slightly less black and white than a kind of Andrew Tate, who’s obviously a misogynist. Whereas Julian played him as someone… you might think he is trying to help Nic.
“From his point of view he was, from his character’s point of view he was trying to help him understand his ideology, even though it was quite dark. He’s more ambiguous as to whether he’s a good guy or a bad guy.”
The film is currently only available in cinemas, so make sure you don’t miss out on the chance of seeing this intriguing companion piece to Netflix’s biggest hit of 2025.
The Surfer is in cinemas now. Adolescence is available to stream on Netflix.
