Review of Beach Rats (2017) by Tvjerry — 17 Sep 2017

An aimless young man (Harris Dickinson) hangs with his buds at a Brooklyn beach, but spends his nites cruising online for older men. He even scores a girlfriend to help him deny his inevitable attraction.

This film feels foreign in style: scenes play out in real time with minimal activity or dialogue, there's no musical accompaniment and lots of lingering close-up shots of Dickinson's inner conflict. Dickinson has a model's beauty and build, but it doesn't distract from his his genuinely compelling performance.

Still, the lackadaisical pace and lack of narrative thrust hinder the full appreciation of this intimate, moody character study.