QUICK’N DIRTY: LIVE FROM BERLIN
Present-day London. Amanda (Juliette Binoche) catches her elderly mum Leslie (Anna Calder-Marshall) having sex with her stepfather Martin (Tom Courtenay) on their own bed. She barely catches a glimpse of the act, however she remains convinced that her mother could have not consented, and that she may have been been subjected to pain. That’s because Leslie has advanced dementia. She talks very little, and her face has an expression of muted perplexion most of the time. She best communicates with a paintbrush: her artistic skills are still reasonably intact. Amanda calls the police in order to discourage Martin from engaging in the sexual activity in the future.
Amanda soon regrets her actions. The police arrest the elderly man and conduct an invasive forensic examination on her mum’s body. Social services could rule that the couple must be permanently separated. Remorseful Amanda tells the authorities that Martin is a loving and devoted husband, to no avail. She panics at the thought of having destroyed the little livelihood that the elderly couple enjoyed. Martin has spent every single day of the past 18 years with the woman whom he loves. He insists that he is the only person prepared to look after her, and that she is the one who makes the sexual advances. He does not come across as a manipulative sex predator. He seems honest, dignified and very caring.
The fourth main character of Queen at Sea is Amanda’s daughter Sara (Florence Hunt). The teenage keeps a safe and respectful distance from the events, while also enjoying a romance with a charming teen of around her age. Amanda is a little less intrusive about the sex life of the adolescent. Instead of calling the police, she gives her only child a bag full of condoms of different textures and strength. Sara’s character provides balance to the story. She represents the discovery of sexuality. She enjoys her best years of her life while her grandmother is in her twilight moments, experiencing suffering and confusion. The editing – particularly the final 10 minutes of this two-hour movie – deftly contrasts the predicament of the two women. A beautiful, tragic and sobering reminder of the ephemerality of life.
Queen at Sea feels extremely British. Director, writer and editor Lance Hammer has a remarkable good understanding of British culture and institutions. It will come as a surprise to many – it certainly did to me – that the filmmaker was born and raised in the United States, and still lives in Los Angeles, and that this is just his sophomore feature, after a hiatus of nearly two decades (he directed the critically acclaimed and award-winning Ballast in 2008). This is unequivocal evidence that film sensibility is universal, and so are the most essential human sentiments.
Binoche is superb, her characterbursting with humanism, as you would normally expect from the 61-year-old French actress. But it is 88-year-old Courtenay and 79-year-old Calder-Marshall that steal the show. Their deliver two powerhouse performances. Both are worthy of prizes and widespread recognition. It is impossible not to be moved by Martin’s sincere devotion to his wife, and Leslie’s blank stare interspersed with fleeting displays of intense joy and horrifying fear. It is heartbreaking to watch Martin desperately trying to cling to the fragments of his wife’s humanity. His memories of the past keep him moving nevertheless. He is sure that Leslie still loves him. Sara crucially asks: “how can you know someone loves you if the memories of the love are gone?’. The sensory and the intuitive replace the verbal and the mnemonic.
This is a movie of incredibly great emotional, ethical and moral depth. It raises fundamental questions about very complex topics, ranging from sexual consent at old age and the institutionalisation of the vulnerable to the limits of the nanny state. Where do you draw the line for dementia-sufferers with a strong libido? Is it selfish or is it sensible to send your loved ones to a care home? Is it acceptable to separate two loving people against their will for practical reasons? And should the state have the power to interfere and to make decisions on behalf of mentally-fit citizens? Hammer does not provide easy and clear-cut answer. Queen at Sea is no social realist drama. It indicts neither its characters not the government institutions. Welfare services look menacing at first, however they later fulfil a vital role in the lives of these four people. The shocking final denouement throws a new factor into play, forcing deeper reflection and revaluation. This is more than a film about dementia. This is a movie you will never forget. For more reasons than one.
Queen at Sea just premiered in the Official Competition of the 76th Berlinale. This is the strongest film in the Official Competition of the largest film festival in the world since Mohammad Rasoulof’s There Is No Evil won the event in 2020.
