Actor Jelani Alladin, best known for his role in Fellow Travelers, is set to star in Strangers on a Beach, a queer erotic thriller set in the 1980s, according to Variety.
Alladin joins Zane Phillips of Fire Island in the film, which will include suspense, desire, and the complexities of queer identity in a time of secrecy and danger.
Directed by Michael Schwartz (Snatched), Strangers on a Beach’s 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.”
The world premiere of Strangers on a Beach will take place at the Big Apple Film Festival in New York this June. The cast also includes Juliana Aidén Martinez (Griselda), Jack Falahee (How to Get Away With Murder), Nancy Lam (Miss Saigon), and Perry Young (In the Heights).
Schwartz, who also wrote the film, draws inspiration from iconic 1980s noir filmmakers David Lynch and Brian De Palma, known for their psychological thrillers that often feature queer subtext.
“Studio films of that era often reveled in queer subtext, but even between the lines, queerness was frequently coded as danger,” said in a statement. “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.”
More details about the upcoming film to be announced!
Photo Credit: Instagram – @JelaniAlladin
