Beach Rats in Stuff

Something we’ve enjoyed doing as a family for years now is a Saturday afternoon movie. I’m not even quite sure how the tradition started, but I’d say we go to a movie during the day on Saturday maybe 3 times a month, often to see a movie that none of us are that excited about seeing, but we do it anyway because it’s a thing we like to do. If that makes sense.

Some weeks we have an idea of what we want to see picked out way in advance, some weeks it’s a bit of a last minute decision. Last night I asked if there was anything anyone wanted to see today and the kids all immediately went searching on their phones.

The oldest suggested a film called Beach Rats that I’d never heard of. After a little research of my own, I learned it’s an independent film with a story line about a young man coming of age and discovering his sexuality. The oldest is all about independent films these days.

The film is rated R. I don’t have much of a problem with taking my kids to R-rated films. My youngest is almost 15 now, but even a few years ago I was fine with R-rated films so long as I looked them up a little and learned what the film was about.

I don’t really have much a problem with foul language. I’ll swear in front of the children and they know they can swear in front of me without getting in trouble. I will say something to them if they are being excessive with it, or using words that are more sexist and racist that just profane. They know I don’t want them to refer to women as bitches, for example.

I don’t like seeing violent films. Even PG13 violence sometimes is unpleasant. Movies that seem to be focused primarily on people shooting one another have always been low on my list, as well as revenge films and things like that. Sometimes they are entertaining, but I find the messages of the film to be exactly what I don’t want to teach my kids. Not to mention, the older I’ve gotten, the less I can handle violence. It make me feel ill.

Sex and nudity is more of a gray area for me. I don’t want my kids to grow up thinking that sex is naughty or shameful. I don’t want them feeling that way about the naked body either. Of course we need to be covered up at appropriate times, but I struggle with the idea that something like exposed breasts in a bad thing. I don’t think it is.

I’d like my kids to steer away from porn at least until they are older. Not because I want them to think sex is bad but because I think the sex depicted in porn is often not what I’d like them to think of when they think of sex. I’m sure my oldest watches porn. I’m not sure about my son because he doesn’t seem too interested. I’d like to believe my youngest isn’t watching it, although I acknowledge that might be naive.

Hopefully needless to say, I don’t want my kids to think anything about homosexuality other than it’s a normal part of life. Taking them to a gay film but treating it like any other film and not something that depicts anything different or shameful seems like a great idea.

But the film’s description says it includes “graphic nudity” and I’m not sure about that.

It breaks down like this: Oldest really wants to see it. Son seems interested, but not overly eager. Youngest says it looks boring. I’m the deciding vote.

We’re headed to the theater in about 30 minutes. I hope I don’t regret that we’re seeing this. I don’t think I will.