Beach Rats (2017) USA

A troubled young Brooklyn man begins exploring his sexuality in a time of turmoil for him.

Why do I like it? Why do I recommend it?

This movie was …. interesting — the sex scenes alone are reason enough to watch this film — but this is not your happy-go-lucky movie. It will be a hard watch for some.

This is a powerful drama about a kid who’s struggling with his sexual identity, has random hook-ups with older men, hates himself, and pushes away everyone close to him.

I firmly believe that every story is important. In figuring out their sexuality, not every queer person goes through a simple path of light and ease on the way to arriving at self-love and self-acceptance. Some have to go through mud and shit to get to the other side.

I will say, it seemed to me that there was definitely something missing in the script. Maybe it’s the way the movie was edited? Like some important final moments got left on the cutting room floor? It seemed almost unfinished. Regardless, this is still a worthwhile watch.

Great performances by Harris Dickinson.

Available to stream: HBO Max, Hulu, Vudu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Google Play.

Marcelino Rosas

Marcelino “Marc” Rosas is a novelist, essayist and film reviewer whose writing centers on the intersection of Queer and Latinx identity. Raised in Los Angeles as the eldest son in a Mexican-American family with traditional views of masculinity, his debut novel Afuera (Out) and its follow-up Fuerte (Strong) are celebrated for their passionate and candid portrayal of the challenges confronting a young man coming of age in a machismo-dominated culture as he explores and finally fully embraces his identity as a gay Latino man. A one-time fashion and figure model himself, Marc has always had a strong appreciation for the arts, in particular film. Thus his passion for sharing hidden gems of queer cinema via his film reviews with his ever-growing audience. When not at his writing desk working on his next book, Marc spends his time in the gym or traveling with the love of his life Pieter, his husband of many years.

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