Juliette Binoche tackles ageing and caregiving in 'Queen at Sea', premiered at Berlin Film Festival

Record ID: 2342691

  • Title: Juliette Binoche tackles ageing and caregiving in 'Queen at Sea', premiered at Berlin Film Festival
  • Date: 19th February 2026
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (FEBRUARY 18, 2026) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, JULIETTE BINOCHE, SAYING:   "I have to say, I'm going through it. And I think it's the way it is in, let's say, our Western worlds, in poorest places, somehow they keep their own older people at home. And it feels healthy, healthier, because the whole family is living together. But at the same time,
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: 76th Berlin Film Festival Berlinale Golden Bear top prize Juliette Binoche Lance Hammer Queen at Sea Tom Courtenay competition
  • Location: BERLIN, GERMANY / VARIOUS FILMING LOCATIONS
  • City: BERLIN, GERMANY / VARIOUS FILMING LOCATIONS
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Europe,Film
  • Reuters ID: LVA004633617022026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: French actress Juliette Binoche addressed the complex questions surrounding ageing and caregiving explored in her latest film, "Queen at Sea," in an interview on Wednesday (February 18), following the premiere at the Berlin Film Festival the night before.
       Binoche, whose role in "The English Patient" earned her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and a Silver Bear for Best Actress in 1997, stars as Amanda, who decides to call the police because her stepfather will not stop having sex with her mother with advanced dementia, enmeshing her family in the mechanics of the state where it's unclear if it's doing more help than harm.
        British stage actor Anna Calder-Marshall portrays Amanda's mother, while Oscar-nominated actor Tom Courtenay plays the stepfather in the project by Lance Hammer, known for "Ballast," which competed at the festival 18 years ago.
        Hammer, acting as director, screenwriter, and editor, aimed for authenticity. "It struck me very hard because when I started thinking about it, I realised I didn't have a clear moral stance on what was happening. And it disturbed me about myself," Hammer said. "Making a story from a place of uncertainty seemed like a good way to explore it."
       Binoche reflected on the Western world's challenges with caregiving systems for the elderly: "In poorer places, somehow they keep their own older people at home. And it feels healthier ... But do people want to put money into this? It's the most important subject, because it's the time before you leave Earth."
         Hammer said the issue was deeply uncomfortable, noting, "The system can't account for the nuances of each individual case, and often you can get crushed in the wheels ... Institutions follow procedures that can actually cause harm."
       "Queen at Sea" is one of 22 films competing for the Golden Bear award to be handed out on Saturday (February 21).
    (Production: Martin Schlicht, Swantje Stein)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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