On the Sea

On the rugged coast of North Wales, Jack runs a mussel business with his brother. His life with his wife and fifteen-year-old son is a predictable one, centered around faith and community - until his son unexpectedly announces that he does not wish to follow in his father's footsteps. Family tensions are already running high when Daniel, a young seasonal worker, arrives and stirs up feelings in Jack that shake his carefully constructed existence to its very foundations. Gossip spreads through the village, and Jack is forced to confront what he has kept deeply buried for years. A sensitive romantic drama exploring masculinity, desire, and the breaking of patterns, in which we follow Jack on a courageous quest for his own identity.

On the Sea is the second feature film by director Helen Walsh and premiered this summer at the 79th Edinburgh International Film Festival. It won the Audience Award at the Lovers Film Festival in Turin and received a special mention for its score at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. Lead actor Barry Ward visited the Noordelijk Film Festival in 2024 with the film That They May Face the Rising Sun (2023) and delivers another remarkable performance in the beautifully shot On the Sea.