Queen at Sea

In a wintry, grey London, Amanda, a divorced academic, has taken a sabbatical to be closer to her mother Leslie, who is suffering from dementia. One morning, she finds her mother having sex with Martin, Amanda’s stepfather, who has been married to Leslie for decades. Amanda is appalled and accuses Martin of rape, as her mother is no longer capable of giving consent for such an act. But Martin sees things very differently and argues that sex, like so many other familiar things, is actually very good for her. Amanda vehemently disagrees and, with the support of Leslie’s GP, calls in the police, setting in motion a whole series of unpleasant and unforeseen events.

This gripping drama, which brings to mind Michael Haneke’s Amour, is American director Lance Hammer’s first film in almost twenty years – a comeback that earned him a Silver Bear at the recent Berlinale. Actors Tom Courtenay and Anna Calder-Marshall also won awards there. Juliette Binoche plays the role of Amanda.