On the Sea review: Storytelling so restrained it becomes frustrating
On the Sea, written and directed by Helen Walsh, tells a familiar story of a straight-seeming married man confronting his long-buried homosexual desires and risking his marriage, his relationship with his son and his reputation in the process.
Barry Ward stars as Jack, a mussel harvester living in a remote community in North Wales with his childhood sweetheart Maggie (Liz White) and their teenage son Tom (Henry Lawfull). One day, he meets Daniel (Lorne MacFadyen), a deckhand in town looking for work, and is torn between indulging in his desires and keeping his secret buried down deep.
On the Sea is primarily a character study of a man having an identity crisis. Who is he, what does he want, and what does his authentic life look like? Jack is very much in denial of his desires and sexual urges and is keen to keep up appearances in a small town where everybody talks and knows each other’s business. But that’s not all – Jack also has some health concerns, plus his son doesn’t want to carry on the business which has been in their family for generations, and his brother Dyfan (Celyn Jones) has a radical way to save it from financial ruin.
This is a slow-burning drama where characters rarely speak their mind or say what they mean. The performances and dialogue are very restrained, and it was actually quite frustrating to watch. It bugged me how little the characters say during important conversations. These scenes didn’t offer the catharsis we needed. Also, the attraction between Jack and Daniel lacks proper build-up, and their first sexual encounter doesn’t feel fully earned. It’s lovely to see how their entanglement plays out from there though.
Ward does an excellent job as a quiet, insular man who tries to keep a lid on everything despite a lot of stress and inner turmoil. You can see how much his secret has been weighing down on him. He builds a strong sense of connection and companionship with MacFadyen’s Daniel, who is more open and honest about his identity. But he has less at risk, with no dependents and no whispers about him in the community. White also deserves a shout-out for saying so much with her face rather than her words.
On the Sea is a well-acted yet familiar queer story that’s a bit too restrained for my personal taste.
In cinemas from Friday 24th July