Get ready for sun, suspense, and steamy secrets. Fire Island star Zane Phillips and Fellow Travelers breakout Jelani Alladin are set to headline Strangers on a Beach, a queer erotic thriller set in 1980s San Francisco, premiering this June at the Big Apple Film Festival.
A Queer Thriller With a Vintage Edge
Set in 1983, Strangers on a Beach follows Calvin, a man trying to survive—and maybe fall in love—in a city where queer desire is being stalked by something far more dangerous. The official logline reads: “It’s 1983 in San Francisco and a mysterious killer is targeting homosexual men. But Calvin just wants to kiss that handsome stranger.”
Written and directed by Michael Schwartz (Snatched), the film draws inspiration from the stylized suspense of David Lynch and Brian De Palma. But unlike the coded queerness of many thrillers from that era, Strangers on a Beach brings queer identity and desire front and center.
Sexy, Scary, and Unapologetically Queer
In a statement, Schwartz explained the film’s ethos:
“Studio films of that era often reveled in queer subtext. But even between the lines, queerness was frequently coded as danger. That kind of projection carried difficult consequences, as did the concealment of identity. By centering authentically queer voices—all while keeping things scary, sexy, and strange—we set out to challenge the biases of both the characters and the audience who watch them.”
Alongside Phillips and Alladin, the film stars Juliana Aidén Martinez (Griselda), Jack Falahee (How to Get Away With Murder), Nancy Lam (Miss Saigon), and Perry Young (In the Heights).
The film is produced by Andrew Carlberg (Skin) and Nilou Safinya (Julia Blue), marking their third collaboration under Safinya’s Eyes Up Here Productions and Schwartz’s Boat Ashore Productions.
Rising Stars and Veteran Talent
Alladin, fresh off his acclaimed performance opposite Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey in Fellow Travelers, also appeared in Tick, Tick…Boom with Andrew Garfield. Phillips, who rose to fame in Fire Island, recently appeared on the Hulu sitcom Mid-Century Modern.
When he’s not behind the camera, Schwartz also co-created That’s a Gay Ass Live Show, a variety game show that opened the NY Comedy Festival and appeared at Netflix Is a Joke, featuring stars like Bowen Yang, Matt Rogers, and Margaret Cho.
Strangers on a Beach is set to make its world premiere at the Big Apple Film Festival in June—just in time for Pride Month. Don’t miss this thrilling dive into queer danger, desire, and identity, wrapped in the dreamy haze of a bygone era.
