Beach Rats
2017, Gay and lesbian/Drama, 1h 37m
105 Reviews 2,500+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
Empathetic and powerfully acted, Beach Rats takes a clear-eyed yet dreamlike look at a young man's adolescent turmoil. Read critic reviews
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Cast & Crew
Frankie
Simone
Donna

Carla

Jesse

Nick
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Critic Reviews for Beach Rats
All Critics (105) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (89) | Rotten (16)
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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.
December 1, 2017 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review… -
It's slow, sensual and gorgeously observed.
November 29, 2017 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review… -
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.
November 28, 2017 | Full Review… -
Powered by a taciturn, soulful performance by its young star, this meditation on fear, shame and sexual repression packs a wallop.
November 27, 2017 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review… -
Hittman shares something of Claire Denis's gift for finding vulnerability in a chiselled male body and a kind of bruised poetry in the tough-guy swagger of these teenage kids.
November 26, 2017 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review… -
Writer-director Eliza Hittman's Beach Rats is a Brooklyn-set coming of age story made with a gritty lyricism bound to provoke comparisons with the work of French director Claire Denis.
November 22, 2017 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Beach Rats
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Feb 02, 2021I'm making my way backward with Eliza Hittman's work and I simply adore her flair for observational drama, particularly about young people on the verge of change. She pays attention to what makes people tick in their most private moments with themselves. In turn, every minute detail in how they interact with those around them clicks in at a higher frequency. It's thrilling to understand so much without having much explained. Hittman only gets better at this with her following film and even though ‘Beach Rats' is not as focused and suffers from some repetitiveness, it's worth the trip.Marisol M Super Reviewer
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Dec 26, 2018Yet another gay-themed drama about a teen's struggle with self-acceptance that belongs 20 years ago, with a silly, confused plot that doesn't really go anywhere and the kind of outdated and prejudiced view of homosexuality that you find in hundreds of films alike.Carlos M Super Reviewer
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Dec 15, 2017Far less complex than it tries to be but Harris Dickinson's performance is stunningly raw.Alec B Super Reviewer
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Nov 28, 2017Over the past year, I've been questioning a lot about myself, like who I am and why I feel the way I do about certain things. Things like Moonlight. Why do people like it so much? I didn't hate it, but I didn't think much of it. It seems like society demands that you decide to either love Moonlight or not. I don't like being forced into such a binary existence. A lot of my peers tell me that it's a masterpiece, and I sometimes feel forced to go along with them just to fit in. I just want to be me and like the movies I like without all this pressure and sometimes full-on hatred. Anyway, that has absolutely nothing to do with Beach Rats, a film about a young man struggling with his sexual identity unbeknownst to his peers and family. It's pretty and pretty slow. As the trailer suggests, there are definite visual hints of Harmony Korine, especially Spring Breakers, and it shares a common setting with Kids. There's also a bunch of gay sex and man ass if that's your thing. Harris Dickinson in his breakout role does a great job at portraying a vacuous, pill-crushing millennial struggling with his sexuality, but the inescapable truth is that Beach Rats really is trying to be the white version of Moonlight with less visual flair and without the structural innovation or dynamic performances.K Nife C Super Reviewer
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