The contemporary tragedy Queen at Sea is a dark story of good intentions and a trauma-informed system leading to exactly the opposite of the intended result. Elderly Leslie (Anna Calder-Marshall) is suffering from advanced dementia, and is tenderly cared for by her longtime husband Martin (Tom Courtenay). Leslie’s daughter Amanda (Juliette Binoche) loves her stepfather Martin and depends on him to care for her mom.
But Amanda visits the old couple’s apartment and walks in on Martin having sex with Leslie. Believing that her mom is incapable of consent, Amanda is outraged and demands that Martin vow to stop, but Martin, citing some research, argues that sex can bring comfort dementia patients. Not winning the argument, and still in high dudgeon, Amanda calls the cops to tell Martin to stop.
At this point, Amanda loses all control of the situation. The cops haul Martin off to detention, and call for the police sexual assault specialists, who take the bewildered Leslie off for an intrusive hospital examination. That results, in turn, to a referral to social services.
What follows is an ironic tragedy. No one does anything wrong, except perhaps Martin, and that is debatable. The police, hospital professionals and social workers are clearly trained in trauma-informed protocols, and are prioritizing sexual assault and elder abuse. Amanda, who is trying to protect her mom, agonizes as Leslie is subjected to a succession of traumatic experiences. And what will happen to Martin?
The only indisputable villains here are Leslie’s dementia and the infirmity and mortality that we all will face,
Amanda’s teen daughter Sarah (Florence Hunt) and her boyfriend are sweet and getting serious. Sarah’s story, featuring intimacy that is not leading to heartbreak, brings hope and joy to an otherwise emotionally bleak movie.
Queen at Sea is the second feature from writer-director Lance Hammer, and every moment is authentic. Tom Courtenay is justifiably getting some award season buzz. Queen at Sea opens in theaters this weekend.