Queen at Sea Review: Living With Dementia

Lance Hammer’s first film in 18 years, Queen at Sea, sees a woman’s advanced dementia heavily affect her family, leading to rich emotional depths for the viewer.

Where other such dramas like Still Alice (2014) focus too heavily on overegging every emotional beat, Queen at Sea is far more understated in its approach—but still, there are countless chilling and upsetting moments in Lance Hammer’s (Ballast) refined film.

Leslie (Anna Calder-Marshall, Wuthering Heights) and Martin (Tom Courtenay, 45 Years) have been married for 18 years. The couple still reside in their spacious North West London house and are visited sporadically by Leslie’s daughter Amanda (Juliette Binoche, Three Colours: Blue), who lives in Newcastle with her own teenage child, Sara (Florence Hunt, Bridgerton). After taking a sabbatical for one year, Amanda temporarily takes up residence close to her mother and stepfather, the former of whom is living with advanced dementia. 

The opening shot of Queen at Sea, which sees Leslie and Martin walk slowly up concrete stairs daubed with graffiti on a grey English day, sets the tone for what is to come. It is clear that Hammer isn’t going to sugarcoat what follows. There are no rays of sunlight through trees to signal hope, nor is there upbeat music. You’d be right in thinking this sounds like a difficult watch, especially for anyone affected by dementia in real life, yet Queen at Sea is not dreary for the sake of being dreary. It is necessarily hard to stomach, mirroring the emotions of Amanda, Sara, and Martin as they watch their beloved family member fade away.

What sets Queen at Sea apart from other similar dramas is its focus on the sexual issue of dementia. Amanda walks in on Martin and Leslie having sex—not the first time this has happened since Leslie’s diagnosis. It is uncomfortable, to say the least, and the first 20-minutes or so of the film are spent with police and doctors involved in attending the incident. Impressively, Hammer steers Queen at Sea through this treacherous minefield of emotions and moral issues with aplomb. He explores different arguments and varying opinions, but never once loses the most important aspect for everyone involved: Leslie’s wellbeing.

Like Amour, this is an austere, grim watch, but it is so character-driven that it needs to be. Each one is terrifically crafted, and the acting from every member of the cast is immense. Certain moments involving Calder-Marshall and Courtenay catch the breath in your throat, whilst Binoche is similarly affecting as a character trying to do the best for her mother in the face of an impossible situation. As the teenager of the family, Hunt has a bigger part to play than one might expect, and she is magnificent in each scene she is in, most of which are with her boyfriend. These run parallel to Leslie and Martin’s elderly relationship. It’s an obvious mirroring of young and elderly love, but the scenes do feel slightly tacked on and unnecessary.

Nothing ever causes Queen at Sea to lose its incredible control or momentum, though. The film consistently traces the thorniness and complexities surrounding dementia, and the difficulty society still has with understanding it. Much of Hammer’s film is understated yet still incredibly poignant, with the use of classical music in the soundtrack a particularly inspired choice. Considering how restrained the film feels at first glance, the emotional resonance is surprisingly heavy. It took Hammer 18 years to direct Queen at Sea after his feature debut, Ballast (2008). We can only hope it won’t take as long for him to emotionally crush us again.

Queen at Sea premiered at the Berlin Film Festival on February 17-21, 2026. Read our Berlin Film Festival reviews!