Make It a Double Feature: ‘Beach Rats’ and ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’

As we make our way through August, we still feel the muggy summer heat. For this month’s column, I’ve gone with two films for those looking to escape the outside weather heat, but still bring a different kind of heat, proving that movies can still be horny in a largely sex-deprived cinematic climate and, in their own distinctive ways, show how to stage a memorable sex scene. 

First up is Eliza Hittman’s sophomore directorial feature, Beach Rats starring Harris Dickinson. Set to have a busy fall season with Halina Reijn’s Babygirl and Blitz by Oscar winner Steve McQueen, potentially setting his career to greater heights, the chameleonic Harris Dickinson first caught the industry’s eye with his film debut as Frankie, a 19-year-old Brooklynite navigating his sexuality. As he spends his nights engaging in hookups with other men, both his secret nightlife and his daily life involving him getting high and roaming the beach with his masculine friends slowly bleed into one another with the cinematography by DP Hélène Louvart (Invisible Life, The Lost Daughter) reflecting the conflicting duality of Frankie’s lifestyle.

During the nighttime sequences, the camera always closes in on Frankie to illustrate his feelings of entrapment. Meanwhile, during the day, Louvart pans the camera away to give Frankie more breathing room even if he isn’t given much space to be his authentic self in front of those close to him. It isn’t until the film’s steamiest sequence when Frankie has a nighttime motel hookup with an older man named Harry (Douglas Everett Davis) that the camera gives Frankie enough space where he’s able to live out his desires without feeling trapped. 

As Frankie and Harry become physically entangled, the camera lingers on their bodies caressing one another with the red lighting symbolizing the heat of the moment. It’s a moment built strictly on physicality as both men jump quickly into the sex without affectionate gesturing beforehand and an absence of romantic music. Yet, its rawness gives it its desired effect along with the afterglow moment between Frankie and Harry involving tender frisky banter over Frankie’s finger size. 

Because red also symbolizes danger, the color simultaneously reflects Frankie’s inevitable struggle to keep his double lives separate that follows after that moment of carnal bliss and the post-coital tenderness Harry shows which is a rare moment of comfort for Frankie who’s surrounded by close-minded people. Thanks to lead actor Harris Dickinson, who exudes sly charm while silently letting his expressive eyes become a window into Frankie’s vulnerable soul, you’re left hoping for the best for him and that eventually, he may find his sense of self. 

Similarly, Red, White & Royal Blue follows the story of queer men navigating a lack of a heavy support system. However, instead of working-class Brooklynites, we’re following a much higher echelon of upper-class folk. By that, I mean families in the White House and Buckingham Palace. As Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez, Minx), the President’s son, and Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine, Bottoms) become bitter rivals-turned-lovers, they’re forced to keep their love a secret for the sake of Alex’s mother’s campaign for re-election and, in Henry’s case, keeping up with customs of the British court. 

Unlike Beach Rats, Red, White & Royal Blue is much lighter in tone. The escapist rom-com acts as a stark contrast to the grittiness of the masterful yet mostly overlooked indie drama. Also, like any great rom-com, it hinges on the chemistry of its two leads. Taylor Zakhar Perez plays Alex with presence and earnestness while Nicholas Galitzine shines as Prince Henry who’s as blissfully in love even as he knows what may happen if their relationship goes even deeper. 

Aware as they may be to keep things secret, they’re still afforded moments of sensual bliss including their own pivotal hotel sex scene. The scene of Alex and Henry making love while on their getaway in Paris is proof of not only how to make a good sex scene, but a good romantic one. Compared to the motel scene in Beach Rats which is built on raw physicality with both men only having a minor connection, the Paris scene in Red, White & Royal Blue involves Alex and Henry using their bodies to express their growing love. 

As they lay in bed, the elated gazing and body language between both men as they go slow before fully thrusting is a way of Henry showing ease to the anxious Alex and helping seal their general trust for each other. The sweeping violin music and playful banter between both men before they lie together sets up the scene’s intimate feel even more. 

It’s a scene as blissful as the overall film which is heartfelt while showing how even wealth and the highest connections can’t always guard one from close-mindedness. While worlds away from the Oval Office and the British monarchy, Beach Rats effectively does the same and may similarly strike a chord with queer viewers whether they do or don’t have the support system they need to be their truest selves. For those who want good queer cinema that stimulates as well as gives one perspective, why not watch both and make it a double feature?

Beach Rats is currently available to stream for free on Tubi. Red, White & Royal Blue is available to stream on Prime Video.

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Matt St. Clair

Matt is a New England-based freelance journalist who lives and breathes the world of cinema and has been an Oscar watcher since the age of eight. His writing can be found on outlets such as The Film Experience, Roger Ebert, Digital Spy, and Slashfilm. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and a Gay & Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association member. You can follow him on Twitter @filmguy619. (He/They)

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