Beach Rats

Frankie, a directionless 19-year-old from Brooklyn, spends his days indulging in casual hangouts and getting high with his tough-guy friends, seeking solace from a challenging home environment. His family dynamics include a younger sister and a mother who is deeply involved in looking after his terminally ill father. By night, Frankie frequents Brooklyn Boys, a webcam platform catering to gay men, though he cleverly veils his identity by donning a hat.

One evening, while enjoying fireworks at the Coney Island boardwalk, he captures the attention of local girl Simone. She joins him back home and attempts to initiate intimacy, asking, >“Am I pretty?” Unfortunately, Frankie falters and resorts to light-hearted banter, imitating her question instead. Upset, Simone leaves disappointed. Days later, while at the beach, Frankie sees Simone with another man, prompting him to apologize for his earlier behavior—an encounter that leads her to tentatively forgive him.

As Frankie navigates his double life, he arranges clandestine hookups with older men online, as they present less risk of being seen by his friends. In one such interaction, when asked about his attraction to older men, he evasively replies, >“I don’t really know what I like.”

Tragedy strikes when Frankie’s father passes away due to cancer, which compels Frankie to misuse his father’s medication alongside his friends. During a date with Simone, he nonchalantly inquires if she has ever kissed a girl. After a lackadaisical remark from her about the sexual dynamics of same-gender make-outs, Frankie uncomfortably pressures himself into sexual interaction with her that night. Later, a hookup with a gay man at a motel forces Frankie to confront his identity when questioned about his orientation; he insists he is not gay and simply has a girlfriend.

As his hidden world teeters on the brink of exposure, Frankie finds himself in public with his male partners and risks losing Simone when his erratic behavior, fueled by drugs, drives her away. When drugs begin to dwindle, Frankie convinces his buddies that the gay chat site can be a means to acquire more. Despite their discomfort with the proposal, he persuades them to “pretend” to be gay for the sake of getting drugs. Frankie shares that he plans to meet Jeremy, an openly gay man who is closer to his own age, for some smoking.

When Jeremy arrives, he instinctively grows cautious upon seeing Frankie’s friends. After a brief exchange, Jeremy reaches out to Frankie privately for a meet-up, which sets off alarm bells for Frankie’s friends who insist on joining the rendezvous to steal the weed. As they argue, Frankie insists using the chat site is solely for drugs and ultimately decides to meet Jeremy at the beach. During their drive, Jeremy accurately deduces that Frankie is in the closet, calling him out on merely “having sex with men” while struggling with his self-identity.

As the events unfold on the beach, Frankie feels a swirl of regret for luring Jeremy there. When Jeremy expresses uncertainty, Frankie’s friends ambush him for their own gain. Despite attempts to protect Jeremy, the situation turns violent, with his friends brutally attacking him and leaving him behind, abandoned in the waves.

Back in the solitude of his home, Frankie erases all traces of his online presence and the selfies he had taken. The film concludes with him reflecting on his turbulent journey as he watches the fireworks again at the boardwalk, his face a mask of anguish and confusion.

Last Updated: November 15, 2024 at 19:43