Queen at Sea

by Lance Hammer

When Amanda (Binoche) walks in on her elderly parents in the throes of what appears to be a consensual sexual encounter her instinct is to call the police, believing her mother Leslie (Calder-Marshall) who is suffering from dementia, incapable of giving consent to husband Martin (Courtenay). As this complex, emotionally devastating and utterly gripping scenario plays out we are asked to question our preconceptions, ideas and treatment of the elderly in this devastating and superbly acted film, winner of a Silver Bear at the Berlinale. This is moral maze filmmaking at its most nuanced and sophisticated.

Content warnings: None