Beach Rats

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Beach Rats

R

Released Aug 25, 2017

1h 37m

Drama

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

108 Reviews

57%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

An aimless teenager on the outer edges of Brooklyn is having a miserable summer. With his father on his deathbed and his mother wanting him to find a girlfriend, Frankie escapes the bleakness of his life by causing trouble with his delinquent friends and flirting with older men online. When his chatting and webcamming intensifies, he finally starts hooking up with guys at a nearby cruising beach while simultaneously entering into a cautious relationship with a young woman.

Critics Consensus

Empathetic and powerfully acted, Beach Rats takes a clear-eyed yet dreamlike look at a young man's adolescent turmoil.

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

Beach Rats does feel a little half-formed, but it swells with such passion that one longs to follow all involved on their subsequent journeys.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 1, 2017

Full Review

Ed Potton

Times (UK)

It's slow, sensual and gorgeously observed.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 29, 2017

Full Review

Hannah McGill

Sight & Sound

The film's mix of murky, up-close realism and dreamy vagueness is reminiscent of Gus Van Sant's and Larry Clark's detailed, faintly voyeuristic depictions of teen life, as well Matt Porterfield's unvarnished but elegant portraits of urban disaffection.

Nov 28, 2017

Full Review

Kat Halstead

Common Sense Media

This is a gritty, intimate character study that relies as much on the central acting as it does the melancholy mood of its stark, shadowy 16mm cinematography.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 9, 2023

Full Review

Erica Peplin

Vague Visages

In addition to bearing resemblance to the impressionistic and deeply empathetic style of Celine Sciamma, Hittman’s work could also be compared to Barry Jenkins’ work in Moonlight...

Dec 5, 2023

Full Review

Vadim Rizov

Filmmaker Magazine

There’s a lot to admire here — the carefully preserved verisimilitude of a world un(der)explored on screen, a nonjudgmentalism that avoids sexual or moral panic — but ultimately this feels like a missed opportunity.

Jan 11, 2023

Full Review

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Kathryn V

After the fact watched Harris Dickinson in Trust, Where the Crawdads Sing and Iron claw, 2023 and 2024. Try this movie 2017. I liked the movie but the ending kind of left me, huh. It's just going to end like this. Maybe it's one of those movies, use your imagination for the ending, be what you think it should be.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/19/24

Full Review

Hargie M

While the film aims to depict the raw, unfiltered reality of a young man grappling with his sexuality in a hostile environment, it falls short in its execution.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/20/24

Full Review

Alec B

Far less complex than it tries to be but Harris Dickinson's performance is stunningly raw.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/03/24

Full Review

Emilliano S

A dark coming out of age film. Its portrayal of a trouble teen age life depicts real life social issues.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/20/23

Full Review

Natanael A

Frankie está confuso. Ele não é, contudo, um jovem inocente, mas profundamente estúpido. Seu pai está em estado terminal, ele não consegue arranjar uma namorada, não parece nunca incomodado em arranjar um emprego, o que dá a ele muito tempo livre para desperdiçar. Uma de suas válvulas de escapes é passar a madrugada em um site de camboys, um lazer excitante e perigoso, talvez mais um jeito de Frankie interagir autodestrutivamente com seus próprios demônios. Há uma atmosfera de falta de perspectiva, envolta pelas descobertas do alcance de sua sexualidade, pela pressão do grupo (rapazes sarados, bronzeados e pouco sensíveis) com o qual ele não consegue construir algo sólido, íntimo ou honesto, e um deslocamento apático em relação aos dramas da própria família. O ritmo do filme é arriscadamente lento, mas bem preenchidos pelas nuances de um verão ruim, caótico e desesperançoso.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I found the movie to be boring. The character didn't change through the course of the film. While many have applauded the lead's performance, I found it stiff with his face rarely chanhing from one scene to the next. The worst part of the movie was the ending was telegraphed from the moment he asked his "un"friends if they'd smoke weed with a gay guy. The violence was expected and gratuitous.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

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Eliza Hittman

Director

Harris Dickinson

Frankie

Madeline Weinstein

Simone

Kate Hodge

Donna

Nicole Flyus

Carla

Anton Selyaninov

Jesse

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Beach Rats: Trailer 1

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Beach Rats: Teaser Trailer 1

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Synopsis

An aimless teenager on the outer edges of Brooklyn is having a miserable summer. With his father on his deathbed and his mother wanting him to find a girlfriend, Frankie escapes the bleakness of his life by causing trouble with his delinquent friends and flirting with older men online. When his chatting and webcamming intensifies, he finally starts hooking up with guys at a nearby cruising beach while simultaneously entering into a cautious relationship with a young woman.

Director: Eliza Hittman
Producer: Brad Becker-Parton, Drew P. Houpt, Paul Mezey, Andrew Goldman
Screenwriter: Eliza Hittman
Distributor: Neon
Production Co: Cinereach, Secret Engine
Rating: R (Graphic Nudity|Drug Use|Language|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 25, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 7, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $472.4K
Runtime: 1h 37m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)