The film examines the complex legal and moral dilemmas surrounding sexual consent when one partner has dementia, sparking family conflict and institutional intervention.
Key facts
- •Queen at Sea is director Lance Hammer’s first film since his 2008 debut, Ballast.
- •Juliette Binoche plays Amanda, the daughter who reports the sexual relationship to the authorities.
- •The film was originally intended to be set in the US but was reworked for a UK setting after funding changes.
- •Real-life professionals, including clinician Marie-Elle Vooijs and social worker Jean Pemberton, appear in the film.
- •The film explores the conflict between institutional safeguarding and the preservation of long-term intimate relationships.
Director Lance Hammer’s new film, Queen at Sea, depicts the fallout within a family after a daughter discovers her stepfather, Martin, having sex with her mother, Leslie, who has dementia. The discovery leads the daughter, Amanda, to involve the police, triggering a series of institutional interventions that disrupt the couple's lives. The film, which won the 2026 Berlinale Silver Bear jury prize, aims to present the moral complexities of the situation rather than a clear-cut moral position.
Performances and Production
The film stars Tom Courtenay as Martin and Anna Calder-Marshall as Leslie, who jointly won the Silver Bear for best supporting performance at the Berlinale. The actors, who previously worked together in 1968, were cast after Courtenay recommended Calder-Marshall to Hammer. To ensure accuracy regarding institutional responses in the UK, Hammer consulted with professionals, including sexual assault clinicians and social workers, some of whom were cast in the film to portray their real-life roles.
Legal and Ethical Dilemmas
The film highlights the tension between protecting individuals with dementia and respecting their sexual expression. Under the Sexual Offences Act of 2003 in England and Wales, sexual activity is illegal if a person cannot refuse due to a mental disorder. However, experts note that dementia does not automatically preclude consent, which can be non-verbal. Barrister Alex Ruck Keene explains that while the law is difficult to apply in practice, if an individual lacks the capacity to understand what a sexual act is, their apparent enjoyment does not necessarily validate consent.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by The Guardian Health.
