Beach Rats 2017

Frankie is an aimless 19-year-old Brooklynite who spends his days hanging out and getting high with his macho friends as an escape from his troubled home life. His family includes his little sister and a mother who is mostly occupied with caring for his terminally ill father. At night, Frankie cruises Brooklyn Boys, a webcam site for gay men, but partially obscures his face with a hat.

When Frankie and his friends are at the Coney Island boardwalk watching fireworks, he catches the attentions of local girl Simone. Simone accompanies Frankie back to his place and tries to initiate sex with him, asking, “Am I pretty?” Frankie cannot perform and tries to make small talk instead, mocking and imitating her question. Insulted, Simone leaves. A few days later, Frankie and his friends are at the beach when they spot Simone with another guy. Frankie goes to apologize to Simone for his behavior the other night, and she tentatively forgives him. Meanwhile, Frankie uses the chat site to arrange hookups, particularly with older men as they are less likely to run into his friends and give away his double life. When a male partner asks about his penchant for older men, Frankie replies, “I don’t really know what I like.”

Frankie suffers a loss when his father succumbs to his terminal cancer. Frankie takes his dad’s pills, which he and his friends have been abusing. On a day out with Simone, Frankie casually asks her if she’s ever made out with a girl. Simone replies she has, and makes an offhand comment that it’s hot when girls make out, but when guys make out, it’s gay. That night, Frankie forces himself to have sex with her. Later, after a hookup with a gay man at a motel, Frankie is asked about his orientation. Frankie says he is not gay and reasons he has a girlfriend.

Frankie’s secret life becomes increasingly at risk of being discovered when he happens to run into his male partners in public. Simone breaks things off with him when he becomes erratic while high on drugs. When Frankie and his friends are running out on their drug supply, Frankie proposes using the gay chat site, claiming that he uses it to find guys with weed. His friends show discomfort with the idea, but Frankie says all they need to do is pretend to be gay to get the drugs. Frankie lets the guys know he is meeting up with Jeremy, an out gay man closer to his age. Frankie invites Jeremy to come smoke with him and his friends, but Jeremy becomes wary when he catches sight of Frankie’s crew and leaves.

Later, Jeremy messages Frankie and says he wants to meet up and smoke with him, but alone. His friends see the message and insist on tagging along so they can steal Jeremy’s weed. When Frankie hesitates at the idea, his friends question why he even uses the chat site to begin with. Frankie again claims it’s just for drugs and says he will meet Jeremy at the beach. Jeremy arrives to pick up Frankie and during the car ride, Jeremy deduces Frankie is closeted, which Frankie resists with the belief that he does not think he is gay, and, in Jeremy’s words, just “has sex with men”.

On the beach, Frankie starts feeling remorse for bringing Jeremy there and suggests going back to his place. Just as Jeremy questions what’s going on, Frankie’s friends ambush Jeremy and demand the weed. When Jeremy refuses, Frankie’s friends beat him. Though Frankie retrieves the drug, his friends insist on continuing to beat Jeremy, whom they ultimately leave for dead in the waves.  

At home, Frankie gets rid of all traces of the gay chat site on his computer, including shirtless selfies he’s taken. The film ends with him watching the fireworks again at the boardwalk, but with a look of anguish and uncertainty.