Beach Rats

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Beach Rats

R

2017

1h 37m

Drama

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

110 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 intensify, he finally starts hooking up with guys at a nearby cruising beach while simultaneously entering into a cautious relationship with a young woman.

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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

Dec 1, 2017

4/5

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.

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Ed Potton

The Times (UK)

Nov 29, 2017

4/5

It's slow, sensual and gorgeously observed.

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Hannah McGill

Sight & Sound

Nov 28, 2017

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.

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

Jun 29, 2026

If you ever wanted to see a star being born, you can see it here with Dickinson’s laconic, transfixing performance.

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Joe Lipsett

The Queer Gaze (Podcast)

Oct 21, 2025

3/5

Dickinson dazzles in his feature debut, but Eliza Hittman's screenplay has a few bumpy parts. Still, the internalized homophobia is handled well, the cinematography is lush, and the open ending inspires conversation.

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Kat Halstead

Common Sense Media

Dec 9, 2023

4/5

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.

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VITALII H

@freakynickison Mar 10, 2026

Well, there isn’t much to say about this movie, except for self identity crisis that Harris Dickinson’s character goes through. The movie is decent but not memorable at all. It’s not something that I’m gonna revisit for sure. I feel like they didn’t pushed hard enough into the main point of the movie. It could’ve been a lot better if executed within a bigger picture of it all and by adding some scenes that kinda push us towards something. The idea is great but overall it has no impact.

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Tyler F.

@Thornless Nov 14, 2025

Overall, a boring experience that manages to accomplish nothing with a stagnant main character who has no character development over the course of the movie.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Sep 15, 2025

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jun 11, 2025

Failed pride in 1 hour and 37 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $472,400.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Kathryn V

@RT32297663 Oct 18, 2024

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.

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Alec B

@Alec97 Jan 3, 2024

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

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Eliza Hittman

Director

Harris Dickinson

Frankie

Madeline Weinstein

Simone

Kate Hodge

Donna

Nicole Flyus

Carla

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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 intensify, 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)

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