Queen at Sea

American writer-director Lance Hammer knows how to incite thought.

Amanda (Juliette Binoche) walks in on her stepfather Martin (Tom Courteney) having sex with her mother (Anna Calder-Marshall). Seemingly not a rare occurrence for the octogenarians, Leslie’s dementia calls into question her ability to consent. Out of frustration and fear for her mother’s wellbeing, Amanda turns to the authorities for help.

Queen at Sea appears to be as conflicted as its heroine about the nature of the sexual act, leaving viewers in a state of extended unease. Gradually, it pulls back from its focus on the incident and deals with an even wider debate on agency for the ageing. There are no easy answers to be found here, as every character genuinely acts out of love, convinced that they are doing the right thing.

Because of her intrepid nature and devout commitment to presenting as an open book in front of the camera, Binoche is without a doubt the perfect actress to lead this poignant film. One can argue that her French identity also helps sell the maturity of the debate – at no point is there any judgement about age, on either end of the spectrum. Her communication with her teenage daughter, who is about to become sexually active, is as healthy as one could ever expect from a parent.

The ability of Hammer’s characters to vocalise and address their concerns is downright startling, as audiences are so used to seeing the opposite, the misunderstanding often acting as a plot device. Though dialogue-heavy, the ways in which this script attends to the need for the protagonists to verbalise their feelings makes sense. When there are things Amanda can’t share with Martin or her daughter, a phone call to her ex-husband is a completely conceivable and believable outlet.

Visually, there is a sense of confinement to the house in which the narrative is largely set. The steps we see the elderly couple ascend and descend emphasise their physical strain and struggles. A contrast is accentuated whenever the characters venture outside, the expansive sky behind them dominating the frame.

One of the most thoughtfully constructed works at this year’s festival, Queen at Sea is a film that lingers, revisits one’s memory in persistent waves. It quietly elicits contemplation about how fragile the line between protection and control can be, and how often we shy away from acknowledging our own evanescence.

Selina Sondermann

Queen at Sea does not have a release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Berlin Film Festival coverage here.

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