The Beach

A young narcotic-addicted American traveller named Richard who is an avid pop-culture buff with a particular love for video games and Vietnam War movies is eager to impress a European girl. He finds a map left by his strange, whacked-out neighbour, who just committed suicide and follows it to an idyllic beach on a supposedly legendary island paradise, where they join a community of dropouts. Under the influence of the beach's matriarch, the American succumbs to commando fantasies while attempting to protect the beach from further incursions. Ultimately, the American, his estranged lover and the other members of the community are expelled from paradise.