On the Sea

🫤 On the Sea, dir. Helen Walsh, 2025, UK, 111 min.
Saturday, June 27, 2026, 11:00 AM, Castro Theatre

On the Sea

Frameline blurb: On the windswept coast of Wales, Jack — rugged and sensitive — lives a life as constant as the churning of the ocean: married to his high school sweetheart, operating a struggling sea-to-table fishing business with his small-minded brother, and trying to keep his son out of trouble.

But even here, at the edge of nowhere, there’s a gay cruising spot in an old stone ruin where Jack (Barry Ward, Extra Ordinary) lurks among the local trade but doesn’t dare participate — until Daniel (Lorne MacFadyen, a ginger heartthrob) swaggers onto the scene. A seasonal worker sporting a neck tattoo and a don’t-fuck-with me attitude, Daniel picks up on the hunger Jack doesn’t even know he’s giving off. Living a life as free as Jack’s is frozen, Daniel turns out to be the chance Jack can’t afford not to take. Fans of 😐  God’s Own Country (Frameline41) will find much to love in this stormy, sexy working-class romance, with its sweeping cinematography and never-too-late sexual awakening.

My take: Fun fact: On the Sea takes place in Anglesey, northwest Wales, the location of the historical drama 🤩  Madfabulous.

Emotionally speaking, On the Sea feels like a lot of setup with a disappointingly small payoff at the end. I really didn’t like God’s Own Country, so the whole “fans of … will find much to love” pitch didn’t do anything for me, either. We were steeped in the grayness (or I suppose I should say greyness) of Jack’s day-to-day existence, and the introduction of a small patch of bright ginger in the midst of that gray, but it really felt like the movie just ended. I’m exaggerating a little, but not a lot. Still, the audience liked it much better than I did (as with God’s Own Country), so if it appeals to you, check out the previews (links below), but personally, I’d give it only my most tepid recommendation.

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