Queen at Sea
Lance Hammer’s moving drama is more than just a study of dementia and the acting is superlative.
Tom Courtenay and Juliette Binoche
Image courtesy of Curzon Film Distributors.
by MANSEL STIMPSON
It may be slightly less than perfect but Queen at Sea made in Britain by the American director Lance Hammer is bound to be one of the most memorable films of the year and the three central performances in it are exceptional. Indeed, at this year's Berlin International Film Festival in addition to it winning the Jury Prize the award for best supporting performance was shared by Anna Calder-Marshall and Tom Courtenay I would quibble with that only in so far as I do not regard these as supporting roles but, that point apart, their success at Berlin was absolutely justified. Even so, if full justice had been done an acting award would have been shared by all three leading players, the third being Juliette Binoche.
Back in 2011 when it obtained a belated release in the UK I reviewed Lance Hammer's first feature Ballast which had been shown elsewhere in 2008. It had won numerous awards and Hammer was himself its director, writer and editor so it was not surprising that I described him as emerging with credit. But, despite that success, Queen at Sea made all these years later and again with Hammer in the same three capacities is only his second feature. Admittedly Hammer who was born in 1967 also functions as an architect but this long gap between films is unexpected. To his credit it appears to have been born of a determination to avoid making films for their commercial potential and to only give us work containing material that inspired him as an artist. That is self-evidently what he has done here, not least because this new film deals in subject matter which is undoubtedly lacking in popular appeal.
Courtenay and Calder-Marshall appear as an aged couple who, marrying for the second time, have been together for eighteen years and created a deep bond. She is Leslie who when we meet her has become a victim of dementia and is in a state in which it is not always clear whether or not she still recognises people. He is Martin and they are still living together in their London home in Tufnell Park because his devotion is such that he acts as her carer. Binoche's role is that of Leslie's daughter by her first marriage, Amanda, an academic with a post at Newcastle University. Concern about her mother has brought her down to London where she is taking a sabbatical in company with her teenage daughter, Sara (Florence Hunt). Although Queen at Sea is a study of dementia and its impact, the film pinpoints one particular concern. When Amanda and Sara look in, they happen to catch Leslie and Martin having sex and this leads to Amanda taking a step which will create fresh problems. She doubts that her mother is in a state in which she can make it clear whether or not having sex with her husband is something that she wants. Her doctor has previously indicated that sex is ill-advised since it may not be consensual and could prove harmful. However, Martin has ignored the warning claiming that it is Leslie who tends to initiate it and that he believes that he can tell when she is willing. He believes too that having sex is a comfort expressive of their closeness. Amanda, however, does not see it like that and telephones the police believing that what she has just seen was abusive. In all probability she acts to shock Martin into not repeating it, but her complaint leads to an official investigation which must now take its course.
When Hammer first conceived this film, he had not got London in mind as its setting but his screenplay is notably successful in capturing an English flavour and it all fits with his sensitive, restrained yet deeply felt approach to his chosen material. At the same time the film gains dramatically by this focus on whether or not sex between an elderly couple in the circumstances depicted is reprehensible or not. The fact that it is such a tricky issue means that the viewer can understand Amanda's concerns while also seeing things from Martin's viewpoint and that invigorates the piece into something beyond a sad account of dementia. Yet at the same time Queen at Sea does capture vividly the tragedy that dementia can bring to a loving couple by constraining both their lives and, in addition, it portrays all too clearly what it can mean to be caught up in a process that feels painful but is beyond your control. I am thinking here of the scenes in which Leslie is medically examined and questioned as is required once Amanda has reported Martin to the police thus bringing about a safeguarding referral. Figures such as Emma (Michelle Jeram), a police liaison official, have the kind of naturalism found in the work of Ken Loach but Hammer adopts a shooting style all of his own, one in which the camera placement and its emphasis on cold white walls creates the sense that we are watching people who are trapped within the situation that has arisen. Nor is there any respite later on when there are scenes after Leslie has been placed in a care home.
Inevitably Queen at Sea is not a work that can be called an entertainment, but it is both thought-provoking and moving and will give pleasure to all who appreciate outstanding acting. Courtenay is on fine form, Calder-Marshall does wonders in conveying Leslie's feelings despite the limitations in her speech and Binoche subtly makes Amanda a fully rounded character. Indeed, the film’s qualities are such that it comes close to being a masterpiece. However, there is a failing connected to the decision to elaborate the role of Amanda's daughter Sara so as to include scenes with her and her boyfriend James (Cody Molko). The actors are not to be faulted but the story is so centred on the three main characters that this footage feels like an unnecessary distraction. I question too whether the film’s tragic denouement was really necessary (striking a positive note would have been false but what actually happens accentuates the downbeat nature of the piece). Furthermore, I believe that the film’s attempt at creating a kind of emotional balance in its last shot is misjudged. So, Queen at Sea is not without flaws, but it is a remarkable accomplishment all the same.
Cast: Juliette Binoche, Tom Courtenay, Anna Calder-Marshall, Florence Hunt, Cody Molko, Michelle Jeram, Steven Cree, Alison Pargetter, Elizabeth Rushbrook, Mohammad Amiri, Marie-Elle Vooijs, Liani Samuel.
Dir Lance Hammer, Pro Tristan Goligher, and Lance Hammer, Screenplay Lance Hammer, Ph Adolpho Veloso, Pro Des Soraya Gilanni Viljoen, Ed Lance Hammer, Costumes Saffron Cullane.
The Bureau/Alluvial Film Company/Miao Productions-Curzon Film Distributors.
122 mins. USA/UK. 2026. UK Rel: 18 September 2026. Cert. 15.
