A new queer noir is set to turn up the heat and the suspense this summer with Strangers On a Beach, a sultry 1980s-set erotic thriller starring Zane Phillips and Jelani Alladin.
The film, written and directed by Michael Schwartz of Snatched fame, will make its world premiere this June at the Big Apple Film Festival in New York.
Set in 1983 San Francisco, the story follows Calvin, a gay man navigating both desire and danger, as a mysterious killer begins targeting homosexual men.
The film’s cheeky and haunting 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.”
Zane Phillips, best known for his roles in Fire Island and Glamorous, and Jelani Alladin, star of Fellow Travelers and Tick, Tick… Boom!, lead the film’s cast.
Their pairing promises a compelling dynamic as the thriller mixes vintage queer aesthetics, longing, and fear.
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The supporting cast includes Juliana Aidén Martinez from Griselda, Jack Falahee of How to Get Away With Murder, Nancy Lam of Miss Saigon, and Perry Young from In The Heights.
The project is produced by Andrew Carlberg and Nilou Safinya, marking their third collaboration with Schwartz.
Director Michael Schwartz said the film draws heavy inspiration from 1980s noir thrillers by David Lynch and Brian De Palma, where queerness was often relegated to subtext or coded as danger.
“We set out to challenge the biases of both the characters and the audience,” Schwartz explained, adding that the film keeps things “scary, sexy, and strange.”
The creative team includes cinematographer Matthew Pothier (Mutt) and editor Mike Patterson (Bulldozer), with executive producers Erica Berger, Juliana Tyson Kissick, Ryan Kissick, and others bringing the film to life.
The project is a co-production between Eyes Up Here Productions and Boat Ashore Productions.
Beyond the thriller’s stylish aesthetic and tense narrative, Strangers On a Beach also aims to reflect real queer history.
The 1980s were a time of both visibility and violence for the LGBTQ+ community, and this film leans into that tension.
Schwartz’s goal is to reclaim the genre with a story that centers queer desire and agency.
With buzz already building and a cast packed with queer talent, Strangers On a Beach is shaping up to be a must-see at the intersection of gay cinema and suspenseful storytelling.
Related: Actor Zane Phillips on Coming Out & Finding Self-Worth
