THE STORY – Amanda and her stepfather, Martin, struggle with a moral issue that divides them. Has Amanda’s mother, Leslie, who is suffering from advanced dementia, lost the ability to make critical decisions in her own best interests? And, if so, who is responsible – a spouse, a child, an institution – for making such a determination? As Amanda and Martin are forced to make increasingly difficult choices, the repercussions spiral out of their control.
THE CAST – Juliette Binoche, Tom Courtenay, Anna Calder-Marshall & Florence Hunt
THE TEAM – Lance Hammer (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 121 Minutes
Dealing with a family member with cognitive impairment is no easy feat, in real life or in the movies, the latter having proven a fertile ground for strong performances, especially from actresses (Julianne Moore’s Oscar-winning turn in “Still Alice” comes to mind). American-born director Lance Hammer, who made his feature debut with 2008’s “Ballast,” adds to that cinematic canon with his sophomore effort “Queen at Sea”, a US/UK co-production set and shot in London.
The English capital is where we first meet Amanda (Juliette Binoche), who relocated there from Newcastle, where she has academic tenure, under the guise of a sabbatical. Officially, she’s working on a writing project, and her teenage daughter, Sara (Florence Hunt, aka Hyacinth on “Bridgerton”), is along for her ride, while her unseen husband, from whom she is estranged, is teaching in Canada. But her actual reason for being in London is far more painful.
Mere minutes into the film, Amanda checks in on her mother, Leslie (Anna Calder-Marshall). She walks in on her stepfather, Martin (Tom Courtenay), in bed with her biological parent. Amanda immediately calls the police, and the tensions between family members are revealed: Leslie suffers from dementia, and her disease is at such an advanced stage that her doctor has expressly forbidden Martin from continuing to have sex with her, because she is no longer capable of giving and/or maintaining consent.
Martin objects that other experts – whose opinions he found online – claim intimacy is good for dementia patients, adding that Leslie is the one initiating the act most of the time (as it turns out, this is an instinctual gesture rather than spousal passion, as the disease has eroded all inhibitions). Because of his behavior, law enforcement and social workers become involved, and the possibility of placing Leslie in a home is raised. Amanda is technically able to have her mother transferred to such a facility without Martin’s approval, as she’s the one with power of attorney. Still, she wants to come to some sort of compromise with her stepfather, as he is genuinely concerned for Leslie, beyond his approach to geriatric sex.
As the story progresses, it becomes clear “Queen at Sea” is, to some degree, the story of three couples: Martin and Leslie, trying to navigate the difficulties brought on by her progressive cognitive decline: Amanda and her unseen husband, with whom she talks on the phone and maintains a cordial relationship even though it quickly transpires they’re unlikely ever to get back together; and Sara and a friend of hers, with whom there’s an obvious mutual attraction, leading to the question of whether they should act on it. While Leslie is no longer in control of her own body, her granddaughter is in the process of figuring out her own autonomy and understanding how she wants to connect with other people, including sexually.
Given the premise, this is very much a film centered on the actors, particularly the supporting performances by Courtenay and Calder-Marshall. The former is British acting royalty, and boldly sheds his usual charm to portray Martin, warts and all, delineating the layers of a man who is inadvertently selfish in his quest to care for his wife; the latter, while less of a household name, is no less talented, and completely disappears into the role of Leslie, a character she fully inhabits from the very first scene, when her eyes alone convey the confusion that is a constant in the elderly woman’s life.
Eyes and faces are indeed key components of the movie, as Hammer frequently employs very tight close-ups to capture the varying degrees of anguish and resentment that stem from the complicated situation everyone has to learn to live with. And though he is Californian, he nails that very British melancholy that hangs over the characters’ heads (when the film premiered at the Berlinale, the inevitable – but quite apt – shorthand to describe it was to call it Mike Leigh’s version of Michael Haneke’s “Amour”).
And make no mistake, this is a very gloomy picture. Like other films on the same topic, it grows increasingly sad and may indeed prove overwhelming to some, especially if they have had such experiences in real life. That Hammer knows how to treat the subject with delicacy, empathy, and an eye for nuance does not detract from it being an emotionally demanding experience, particularly in the home stretch (pun not intended). Shot by “Train Dreams” Oscar-nominated cinematographer Adolpho Veloso, the film has a striking look that matches the interiority of the characters lives.
For those willing to give it a shot, though, it’s a gently effective portrait of familial bonds being tested, a story of three generations brought together in a not particularly pleasant fashion, a tale of inner and externalized turmoil. A difficult watch, perhaps, but also a powerful and rewarding one, as the humanity connecting all the characters emerges in every scene and paints a quietly compelling picture of how we relate to one another – in more ways than one – and how we sometimes must reconcile sincere affection with the practicalities of the uglier side of old age. And after exiting the screening room, you may want to hug your loved ones for as long as possible.
