Shadows on the Wall | Queen at Sea

Queen at Sea

Review by Rich Cline | MUST SEE

dir-scr Lance Hammer
prd Tristan Goligher, Lance Hammer
with Juliette Binoche, Tom Courtenay, Anna Calder-Marshall, Florence Hunt, Cody Molko, Steven Cree, Michelle Jeram, Marie-Elle Vooijs, Jean Pemberton, Liani Samuel, Lolabelle Backus, Noah Hunt Basden
release UK 18.Sep.26,
US 30.Oct.26
26/UK 2h01

BERLIN FILM FEST

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With this edgy, earthy British drama, writer-director Lance Hammer takes on a serious topic with clear-eyed camerawork and devastatingly honest performances. Grappling with very big questions, this is a complex look at the issues facing adult children who are trying to care for elderly parents. And the script is laced with wider ideas about generational clashes and the things we pass down, whether we intend to or not.

In North London, Amanda (Binoche) is horrified to discover that her stepfather Martin (Courtenay) is still having sex with her mother Leslie (Calder-Marshall), who has advanced dementia. Believing that this is without consent, she alerts the police, who refer the case to social services. But this investigation is invasive, starting with a medical exam, and it also disrupts the careful balance holding this family together. Even though Martin argues that he should be able to care for his wife, he reluctantly agrees to put Leslie in a care home. But this doesn't guarantee safety either.

Alongside this, Amanda's teen daughter Sara (Hunt) is flexing her independence, with her parents separated and mother and daughter relocated from Newcastle to London during Amanda's sabbatical. While Amanda is preoccupied with her mother, Sara finds the first flush of romance with James (Molko). Parallels between these threads are subtle and strongly provocative, exploring links between three generations in an observational way that grabs hold when we least expect it.

Amanda is a fascinating character, played by Binoche with superb nuance as an intelligent woman who struggles to see that her reactions might be causing an even greater problem. It's an intricate, deeply personal performance, and it shines in scenes with the luminous, textured Calder-Marshall and the open-handed, alert Hunt. And Courtenay is as extraordinary as always, remaining astonishingly honest even in very difficult scenes. He never seems to be acting at all.

It's hugely involving to watch Amanda juggle issues with both her mother and her daughter, as it forces us to think about how we would react in each situation. Along the way, the film quietly makes the point that sexuality is an essential element of being human and that, no matter who you are, desire can't be turned on and off at will. And the bigger ideas here relate to how we turn up for each other, whether our reactions reflect what we want or what our loved one needs. Which leaves us with a lot to think about.

themes, language, violence, sexuality 7.Aug.26

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