At the beginning of "Fire Island," Hulu's film about a group of queer friends determined to have the best summer week of their lives on New York's Fire Island Pines, Noah (Joel Kim Booster) quotes from Jane Austen, the writer he calls "the queen." Noah is a big reader, including reading Austen, Yann Martel and Alice Munro, among others. Booster wrote the film after doing just that: reading "Pride and Prejudice" and wanting to create an LGBTQI spin on the tale.
But "Fire Island," directed by "Spa Night" helmer Andrew Ahn, is more than a simple updating. Along with spotlighting queer, Asian American experiences, at a time of increasing anti-Asian discrimination and violence, specific elements of Austen's classic show up in the film in unexpected ways, including the best Mr. Darcy since Colin Firth.
