On the Sea is a 2025 British drama film written and directed by Helen Walsh. The film stars Barry Ward, Lorne MacFadyen, and Henry Lawfull.
The film premiered in competition at the 78th Edinburgh International Film Festival on 16 August 2025.
Premise Set in a remote fishing community in North Wales, the film follows Jack, a mussel harvester who expects his son to continue the family trade. Tensions arise when his son resists this expectation, and the arrival of a new deckhand further complicates relationships within the community. As personal and familial dynamics unfold, the story explores themes of identity, desire and belonging.
Cast Barry Ward as Jack Henry Lawfull as Tom Lorne MacFadyen as Daniel Liz White Celyn Jones Danny Webb Julian Lewis Jones as William Production Written and directed by Helen Walsh, the film was loosely inspired by a real-life individual known to Walsh. The project developed further when Walsh incorporated the setting of mussel harvesting communities in North Wales, which informed the film's narrative and themes.
The film was produced on a budget of under £1 million and shot with a small crew using a scaled-down production approach. International sales for the film are handled by The Yellow Affair. Release On the Sea had its world premiere at the 78th Edinburgh International Film Festival on 16 August 2025. It had its North America premiere at the 2026 Palm Springs International Film Festival. The film was released in UK cinemas by Matchbox Films and Verve Pictures on 24 July 2026.
Reception Critical reception In a review for Film Threat, critic Alan Ng described the film as "pretty typical" of coming-out narratives, criticizing its romantic development as lacking buildup and stating that it "just feels dated and done before."
In a review for Variety, the film was described as a character-driven drama with a strong sense of place, noting its performances and its portrayal of a late-in-life coming-out story with emotional restraint and realism.
Nikki Baughan of Screen Daily described the film as a character-driven drama focused on identity and relationships within a traditional coastal community, highlighting its restrained storytelling, performances, and use of setting to shape the narrative.
References
External links