On the Sea: Two fishermen explore their desires in Helen Walsh’s sensitive drama

Director-author Helen Walsh’s previous works have included tough tales set in working-class communities, sometimes focusing on sexuality and forbidden passion. In her 2014 novel The Lemon Grove, a woman has an affair with her stepdaughter’s boyfriend, while her directorial debut, The Violators (2016), is a punchy drama about a vulnerable girl navigating institutional failures in the outskirts of Cheshire. In On the Sea, she turns her camera towards masculinity, as a married father fights his attraction to another man.

Barry Ward plays Jack, a man working for his family’s mussel-farming business in rural North Wales, an industry constantly under threat. Jack also has difficulties with his young son (Henry Lawfull), who has little interest in following in his father’s footsteps, and with his own health – he’s recovering from a recent cancer diagnosis. His life is further disrupted by the arrival of a younger deckhand, Daniel (Lorne MacFadyen). Confrontational and not easily intimidated, Daniel is a controversial figure in the community. One night, Barry visits Daniel’s caravan, sparking an affair that could upend both men’s lives.

With the exception of Jack’s wife, beautifully played by Liz White, who elevates the stock role of the deceived wife into something complex and forceful, the story is dominated by male characters. Work defines the men’s identities – the lives of the older fishermen, wedded to tradition, are threatened by industrialisation, while the younger men seek work away from the fishing industry. The arrival of Daniel, an outsider with little interest in conformity, threatens the balance further.

The connection between Jack and Daniel is sensitively portrayed, like two men wooing each other from another era. When Daniel initially toys with Jack by coyly coding a gay cruising spot as being an area that’s “good for rabbits”, it’s as if he is speaking Polari. The film is at its best when depicting the challenges of having an affair in such a small, traditional community. Every sexual encounter is fraught with secrecy and risk, with the threat of rejection and ostracisation ever-present. There are some pacing issues – the film spends too long focusing on Jack’s relationships with various secondary characters rather than the compelling romance at its heart. But the strong performances, Felix Rösch’s beautiful score and, most of all, Walsh’s excellent use of location work very well. There has been a flourishing of low-budget queer British features in the last couple of years, with works such as Unicorns (2023) and Departures (2025); On the Sea is a worthy addition to the list.

► On the Sea is in UK cinemas 24 July.