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Writer-director Lance Hammer (ballast) drama, Queen of the searevolves around an incredibly difficult, almost impossible decision.
As Leslie’s (Anna Calder-Marshall) dementia robs her of her mind, memory, and identity, how much agency or autonomy should she continue to have, whether from her loving husband of almost 20 years, Martin (Tom Courtney), her daughter Amanda (Juliette Binoche), a middle-aged professor who has pursued a relevant professorship, or their state. Intervene on Leslie’s behalf and in her best interests?
From its first moments, which reflect Freud’s primal scenes, to its final devastating moments, this question arises. Queen of the sea As it unfolds over days, weeks, and months. For visiting Amanda, finding Martin and Leslie in bed together sends her into paroxysms of rage, most of it directed at Martin, her stepfather. why
Because Martin reneged on the previously agreed upon decision, he avoided sexual intimacy with Leslie. That Leslie, clearly debilitated and confused by advancing dementia, may or may not be able to consent convinces a conflicted Amanda to bring in law enforcement to help her solve—and resolve—a seemingly intractable dilemma.
But Amanda’s decision further complicates an already complex, volatile problem: State officials (first law enforcement, later social workers) take an approach that misrepresents seriousness. and the gravity of Amanda’s accusations against Martin. After interviewing Leslie and Martin, they send Leslie to a nearby hospital for a medical evaluation, arrest Martin on possible sexual assault charges, and leave Leslie, Martin, and Amanda worse off than before Amanda called the police on her stepfather.
Hammer contrasts Leslie’s decision about the future (eg, going back to the status quo, a residential facility, or something else altogether) with Amanda’s relationship with her own daughter, Sarah (Florence Hunt). There is love, but also rebellion, as Sarah, frustrated and angry with her own will during adolescence, begins to assert herself more and more often, sometimes verbally intensifying arguments with her mother about their common and individual future (London or Newcastle, Amanda’s separation from Sarah’s father Molko), who shares her interests and views.
This romance does not in itself qualify as rebellion—James is anything but a “bad boy”—but is a necessary means for Sarah to assert the same agency and autonomy that Leslie has been steadily losing due to age and infirmity. Amanda oscillates between twin duties, twin obligations to both mother and daughter, relying as much on feeling and instinct as on thought and rationality. All doctors, therapists, and social workers can offer only limited options, none of which will make Amanda, Leslie, or Martin happy in whole or in part.
Hammer offers few, if any, judgments, leaving those answers, if any, behind the two-dimensional screen of the real world. Instead, it favors an empathic, sympathetic approach to the characters and their respective wants, desires, and dilemmas. Martin may enter the film as a potential villain, but under Hammer’s nuanced direction, he’s anything but. Hammer leaves no doubt that Martin truly loves his life partner and wants what’s best for him, but he also recognizes a kind of willful blindness or ignorance in Martin’s ultimately self-defeating actions.
And while Leslie gave power of attorney to Amanda, not Martin, giving Amanda the legal right to decide Leslie’s future, that doesn’t absolve her morally and ethically from a decision that will likely haunt her for the rest of her life. Amanda must choose between several sub-optimal options, watching her mother slowly fade into oblivion while an increasingly broken, helpless Martin watches from the sidelines, hoping not to give up on her and Leslie.
Hammer’s deliberately studied approach extends to an uninteresting directorial style characterized by long, static shots, often in doorways, frames, and windows that separate the characters even though they technically share the same space. He uses close-ups sparingly, only returning to them to emphasize the main plot or emphasize an emotional beat.
Hammer’s minimalist style demands a large part of his cast, and they deliver without fail. Binoche adds layers of complexity to her performance as the conflicted Amanda. First-timer Hunt goes up against far more experienced performers, delivering a naturalistic, grounded turn as another character reaching a major milestone in his life, the first of many as he enters adulthood.
It’s no surprise that Courtney and Calder-Marshall shared the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year. Queen of the sea Doubled the number of awards by receiving the Silver Bear Jury Prize, the most important award after the Golden Bear and Silver Bear Jury Prize(s).
