Surfacing

Surfacing

A Hazardous Search Becomes A Passionate Struggle

1981 · 89 min · ★ 4.7 · Drama

Following her father's puzzling disappearance, Kate and her city-bred companions brave the untamed backwoods in a desperate search for him. However, the harsh environment becomes a dangerous catalyst for their explosive mix of personalities, propelling them into a world of raw emotion and unbridled passion.

Directed by Claude Jutra · Written by Margaret Atwood

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 32m together

Surfacing

The Tin Flute

Both from Claude Jutra.

More from Claude JutraSee all →

September Five at Saint-HenriSeptember Five at Saint-Henri · 1962
September Five at Saint-Henri
★ 10.01962
MovieDocumentary
This short film is a series of vignettes of life in Saint-Henri, a Montreal working-class district, on the first day of school. From dawn to midnight, we take in the neighbourhood’s pulse: a mother fussing over children, a father's enforced idleness, teenage boys clowning, young lovers dallying - the unposed quality of daily life.
Two SolitudesTwo Solitudes · 1978
Two Solitudes
★ 9.01978
MovieHistory
The story of the problems caused by what became known as the Conscripton Crisis in 1917 Canada, which threatened to divide the country.
The WordsmithThe Wordsmith · 1979
The Wordsmith
★ 9.01979
MovieDrama
Penned by Mordecai Richler and set in wartime Montreal, this touching telefilm stars Saul Rubinek as Mervyn Kaplansky, a young writer from Toronto who boards with a family on St. Urbain Street only to find his aspirations undermined by the colourful yet desperate characters that surround him. Rubinek delivers a very touching performance as the boyish idealistic writer, and he is backed by a strong supporting cast that includes Harvey Atkin, Janet Ward and Peter Boretski.
For the RecordFor the Record · 1976
For the Record
★ 9.01976
SeriesDrama
For the Record, an anthology of 60-to-90-minute dramas, started on the series, Performance, as a subseries called Camera ’76. A collection of docudrama-style short stories on diverse but socially relevant (and very Canadian) topics such as unemployment, euthanasia, spousal abuse, televangelists, aboriginal issues, and anglophone-francophone relations. This series attracted most of the 'big name' Canadian actors and directors of the time.
Québec fête juin '75Québec fête juin '75 · 1976
Québec fête juin '75
★ 8.01976
MovieDocumentary
Perpetual MovementPerpetual Movement · 1949
Perpetual Movement
★ 8.01949
Movie
An experimental short film shot in slow motion and set to Ottokar Nováček's violin composition Perpetuum mobile, the film depicts a love triangle between two men and a woman.
The Tin FluteThe Tin Flute · 1983
The Tin Flute
★ 7.21983
MovieDrama
In the early 1940's, Canada is a country at war and Florentine is a young woman, from a very poor family, looking for love. She meets two suitable men, a nice soldier from a good and wealthy family, and an ambitious self-centered engineer. She must decide whether she wants to follow her head or her heart...
Till Death Do Us PartTill Death Do Us Part · 1982
Till Death Do Us Part
★ 7.21982
MovieThrillerRomance
Three troubled couples attend a two day marital retreat in hopes of saving their marriages. Unbeknownst to them, their psychiatrist is not who they think he is.
Children of SilenceChildren of Silence · 1962
Children of Silence
★ 7.01962
MovieDocumentary
This film looks at the world of children with hearing loss and the importance of early diagnosis. With its straightforward, rigorous cinematic style and intimate approach to the subject, the film focuses on the human rather than the technical side of the problem of hearing impairment.
Mon oncle AntoineMon oncle Antoine · 1971
Mon oncle Antoine
★ 6.91971
MovieDrama
Set in cold rural Quebec at Christmas time, we follow the coming of age of a young boy and the life of his family which owns the town's general store and undertaking business.
WrestlingWrestling · 1961
Wrestling
★ 6.81961
MovieDocumentary
A candid-camera view of professional wrestling as seen in the Montréal Forum, where some of the biggest bouts are staged, and in back-street wrestling parlours where the warriors practice their art.
The Devil's ToyThe Devil's Toy · 1966
The Devil's Toy
★ 6.41966
MovieDocumentary
Dedicated “to all victims of intolerance,” "The Devil’s Toy" is a faux–public service documentary that chronicles the early days of skateboarding in Montreal. Framed as mock anti-skateboarding propaganda, Claude Jutra contrasts official hostility with the exhilaration and freedom experienced by youths racing downhill through city streets, shortly before the activity was banned.
The Lady of ColoursThe Lady of Colours · 1985
The Lady of Colours
★ 6.21985
MovieDrama
In Quebec 40s, orphans or abandoned children are placed in a gigantic psychiatric hospital where children were locked. Were they sick? No, they simply had no family. To escape this oppressive universe, they created a parallel world: the institution's basement where, in a maze of tunnels, they founded an independent company, with its rituals, spells. A young girl, Agnes, reigns over this underground world that adults seem to tolerate.
For Better or For WorseFor Better or For Worse · 1975
For Better or For Worse
★ 6.21975
MovieComedy
An acerbic and surreal comedy about marriage and married life.
Between Sweet and Salt WaterBetween Sweet and Salt Water · 1967
Between Sweet and Salt Water
★ 6.01967
MovieDramaMusic
A young singer-songwriter abandons his life in his hometown and moves to the city to make it big. He achieves fame, but it comes at a price.
MugginsMuggins · 1967
Muggins
★ 6.01967
Movie
A UCLA student film by Steve Wax. A poetic mood piece dealing with the death of an old man's spirit of romance and self-esteem. Award winner: 1967 San Francisco, Foothill College, and National Student Association Film Festivals. "This film presents the psychological problems of old age in a way seldom seen. It is recommended for discussion and possible use in worship services with junior highs through adults." - Media for Christian Formation

More Like This

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest · 1975
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
★ 8.41975
MovieDrama
A petty criminal fakes insanity to serve his sentence in a mental ward rather than prison. He soon finds himself as a leader to the other patients—and an enemy to the cruel, domineering nurse who runs the ward.
CasinoCasino · 1995
Casino
★ 8.01995
MovieCrimeDrama
In Las Vegas, two best friends--a casino executive and a Mafia enforcer--compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.
Kiss of the Spider WomanKiss of the Spider Woman · 2025
Kiss of the Spider Woman
★ 5.92025
MovieRomanceDrama
Valentín, a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina, a window dresser convicted of public indecency. The two form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favorite silver screen diva, Ingrid Luna.
The Teacher Who Promised the SeaThe Teacher Who Promised the Sea · 2023
The Teacher Who Promised the Sea
★ 7.72023
MovieDramaHistory
The buried memories of the Spanish Civil War are unearthed as a woman searches for the remains of her grandfather's father and discovers the story of an idealistic young teacher from Tarragona.
Apocalypse NowApocalypse Now · 1979
Apocalypse Now
★ 8.31979
MovieDramaWar
At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever exist." His goal is to locate - and eliminate - a mysterious Green Beret Colonel named Walter Kurtz, who has been leading his personal army on illegal guerrilla missions into enemy territory.
Absolute PowerAbsolute Power · 1997
Absolute Power
★ 6.71997
MovieCrimeDrama
A master thief coincidentally is robbing a house where a murder—in which the President of the United States is involved—occurs in front of his eyes. He is forced to run, while holding evidence that could convict the President.
Mystic RiverMystic River · 2003
Mystic River
★ 7.72003
MovieThrillerDrama
The lives of three men who were childhood friends are shattered when one of them suffers a family tragedy.
Eyes Wide ShutEyes Wide Shut · 1999
Eyes Wide Shut
★ 7.51999
MovieDramaThriller
After Dr. Bill Harford's wife, Alice, admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings -- and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.
ContemptContempt · 1963
Contempt
★ 7.01963
MovieDramaRomance
Art film producer Jeremy Prokosch, unhappy with the work of his director, hires Fritz Lang (as himself) to direct an adaptation of The Odyssey, but when it seems that the legendary filmmaker is making a picture destined to bomb, he brings in a screenwriter to energise the script. The professional intersects with the personal when a rift develops between the writer and his wife.
Ronia: The Robber's DaughterRonia: The Robber's Daughter · 1984
Ronia: The Robber's Daughter
★ 7.01984
MovieAdventureDrama
Ronia lives happily in her father's castle until she comes across a new playmate, Birk, in the nearby dark forest. The two explore the wilderness, braving dangerous Witchbirds and Rump-Gnomes. But when their families find out Birk and Ronia have been playing together, they forbid them to see each other again. Indeed, their fathers are competing robber chieftains and bitter enemies. Now the two spunky children must try to tear down the barriers that have kept their families apart for so long.
The Shawshank RedemptionThe Shawshank Redemption · 1994
The Shawshank Redemption
★ 8.71994
MovieDramaCrime
Imprisoned in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his long stretch in prison, Dufresne comes to be admired by the other inmates -- including an older prisoner named Red -- for his integrity and unquenchable sense of hope.
A Beautiful MindA Beautiful Mind · 2001
A Beautiful Mind
★ 7.92001
MovieDramaRomance
From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash Jr. experiences it all. As a brilliant but socially awkward mathematician, he made a groundbreaking discovery early in his career and stands on the brink of international acclaim. But as the handsome and arrogant Nash accepts secret work in cryptography, he becomes entangled in a mysterious conspiracy. His life takes a nightmarish turn and he soon finds himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery.
The Green MileThe Green Mile · 1999
The Green Mile
★ 8.51999
MovieFantasyDrama
A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cell block's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, he tries desperately to help stave off the condemned man's execution.
Jackie BrownJackie Brown · 1997
Jackie Brown
★ 7.41997
MovieCrimeDrama
Jackie Brown is a flight attendant who gets caught in the middle of smuggling cash into the country for her gunrunner boss. When the cops try to use Jackie to get to her boss, she hatches a plan — with help from a bail bondsman — to keep the money for herself.
The Name of the RoseThe Name of the Rose · 1986
The Name of the Rose
★ 7.51986
MovieDramaThriller
14th-century Franciscan monk William of Baskerville and his young novice arrive at a conference to find that several monks have been murdered under mysterious circumstances. To solve the crimes, William must rise up against the Church's authority and fight the shadowy conspiracy of monastery monks using only his intelligence; which is considerable.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter