Fire Island (2022 | US | 105 minutes | Andrew Ahn)
Even though Pride month is just starting, there’s a boatload of fantastic films and shows ready for binging to satisfy even the most prolific watchers and Fire Island is among the best. For a group of five friends, chosen family really, Fire Island (a little plot of land off the coast New York) is their respite; a place to find freedom and uninhibited fun. With any party there’s always drama, and Fire Island in the summer is one massive party all day and all night, so drama aplenty. Noah (Joel Kim Booster) and Howie (Bowen Yang), best friends separated by a thousands of miles the rest of the year, look forward to reconnecting and letting loose every year. Noah is determined to find Howie a hookup while they’re on the island and even after finding him a man, things don’t go as planned and their friendship is tested in ways they’ve avoided talking about in the past. Realizing that love and sex don’t have to be mutually exclusive, both of them work through their issues and find a stronger friendship and better relationships on the other side.
With director Andrew Ahn at the helm, this buddy dramedy is sure to leave echos in your subconscious long after the credits ran up the screen. Considering his previous feature Driveways (reviewed by fellow Sunbreaker Tony in 2020), a festival favorite and heartfelt look at culture clash, loss and love, I knew this new venture was in good hands. Ahn has a knack for walking a very thin line and doing it well. With heavy notes of queer frustrations, the dangers of predatory dating tactics, and cultural and classist bullying, he was still able to keep the mood festive, adding levity when we needed it most. He’s also careful to give every character a depth that’s been lacking in stories about queer and minorities in the past. The best films about maligned and oppressed groups of people are the ones that give multiple dimensions to main characters instead of relying on tropes and stereotypes to get laughs.
Regardless of your sex, creed or station, we’re all made up of a million little details and when you flatten out a character with only one focal point or one concern then you lose what makes them unique, wonderful and interesting. Thank goodness diversity has found its way into the writing room and the director’s chair or we wouldn’t have gems like Fire Island to keep us company on a rainy weekend.
Fire Island is available exclusively on Hulu starting today (6/3)