Queen at Sea (2026)

Queen at Sea is a 2026 drama film written and directed by Lance Hammer. Starring Juliette Binoche, Tom Courtenay and Anna Calder-Marshall, it follows a middle-aged woman struggling with her mother's dementia.

The film had its world premiere at the main competition of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival on February 17, 2026, where it won the Silver Bear Jury Prize and the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance for Courtenay and Calder-Marshall. It received positive reviews from critics.The film will be released in the United States by Greenwich Entertainment on October 30, 2026.

Plot

Amanda walks in on her step-father Martin having sex with her mother Leslie, which shocks her. Leslie has advanced dementia, and Martin has previously been told by Leslie's doctor that, due to her mental incapacity, she can no longer consent to sex. Amanda, intending to teach her step-father a lesson, calls the police on him. The police end up arresting Martin for sexual assault.

Amanda, who lives in Newcastle and is a tenured professor at a university there, moves in to her parents' house to look after her mother while Martin is investigated. Meanwhile, her teenage daughter Sara, strikes up a relationship with a local boy, James.

Martin insists on staying in his own house, despite his bail conditions. When she realises her mother is restless when Martin isn't in bed with her, Amanda reluctantly lets Martin stay in Leslie's room - under the condition he not engage in sex with her. Martin protests, noting it is often Leslie who initiates sexual contact, but relents after an argument with Amanda.

A court-appointed assessor visits to investigate Leslie's living conditions, and is taken aback when she sees Martin present in the house. Amanda saves him by saying she invited him for the visit.

Ultimately, Leslie is moved into a care home, devastating Martin, but the care home staff send Amanda updates showing Leslie having a nice time. A few days later, Amanda is called by the care home saying she went into another resident's room for some time, and was found leaving the room half naked. When Martin and Amanda come to the home to see Leslie, she is found holding the hands of the man who's room she went into. A distraught Martin agrees that Leslie does not understand consent and won't have sex with her any further. They take Leslie back to Martin's place. Meanwhile, Sara's relationship with James is getting serious, and Amanda buys her condoms.

Amanda and Martin hire a home nurse to care for Leslie, giving Martin a break. Martin and Amanda repair their relationship, but Martin is clearly tired and sad at how far Leslie has deteriorated.

Amanda and Martin agree to have dinner one evening, and he opts to take a walk prior while the home nurse looks after Leslie. Martin returns to find the home nurse attempting to wash Leslie, who has soiled herself. Leslie is shouting and is scared of the nurse. Martin tells the nurse she can go home and he would help Leslie for the rest of the afternoon. Martin manages to calm Leslie down enough to get in the shower-bath, but when he attempts to wash her backside she startles, and hits him away, causing him to slip over the edge of the bath and onto the tile. Leslie realises something is wrong when Martin is motionless on the ground, blood pooling from his head.

Amanda returns to Martin's apartment for dinner and finds her mother naked at the top of the stairs, with the shower still running. The camera cuts away before Amanda finds Martin. Meanwhile, Sara leaves James' house after having sex for the first time.

Cast

Juliette Binoche as Amanda

Tom Courtenay as Martin

Anna Calder-Marshall as Leslie

Florence Hunt as Sara

Cody Molko as James

Steven Cree as Jonathan Reid

Michelle Jeram as DC Emma Walker

Marie-Elle Vooijs as Anneke

Jean Pemberton as Gemma

Liani Samuel as Frida

Lolabelle Backus as Julien

Noah Hunt Basden as Victor

Yasmin Campbell as Tessa

Joe Horsford as Luke

Alison Pargeter as Janise

Elizabeth Rushbrook as PC Kate Brooks

Mohammad Amiri as PC Ali

Michelle Kelly as Julie

Production

After releasing the Ballast (2008), which had also been nominated for the Golden Bear at the 2008 Berlinale, Lance Hammer entered an 18-year-long hiatus, working mainly as an academic professor.

Principal photography for Queen at Sea began on 18 April 2023 in London. Adolpho Veloso served as director of photography, shooting the film on 35mm.

Release

Queen at Sea premiered at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival on February 17, 2026. The Match Factory is handling sales for the film. The film is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on September 18, 2026, and in the United States on October 30, 2026.

Reception

After its premiere, Queen at Sea earned widespread critical acclaim, including from Screen Daily, The British Film Institute, Variety, Vulture, and IndieWire. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 20 reviews are positive.

In a five-star review for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw called Queen at Sea "an almighty comeback" by director Lance Hammer, "unbearable in its tragic candour and essential in its moral questioning.". Slant Magazine described the film as a "wrenching, brilliantly acted tale of a family torn apart by dementia," saying that "no filmmaker has shown the aging body on film quite like Lance Hammer does across Queen at Sea," commending Hammer's "flawless precision".

The performances received particular praise. Time Out asserted, "Some films are hung on performances so remarkable, they simply must be seen, even if it destroys you," calling Juliette Binoche's turn "towering."

Accolades

References

External links

Queen at Sea at IMDb