Set between London and Scotland’s northern coast, The Son and the Sea follows three young men on the edge of adulthood. Jonah and Lee escape the wild, listless drift of their everyday lives on a journey north, where they meet Charlie, a deaf local who bears the weight of many of his twin brother’s mistakes. Amid salt air, pubs, long walks and detours, their days unfold in fragments of companionship, friction and quiet joy. Loss lingers, but connection takes shape – in glances, gestures and the comfort of a song. As the sea presses in and the weather turns, the film finds beauty in vulnerability and suggests that gentleness, care and responsibility can be learned – even late, even imperfectly. In her debut, Stroma Cairns draws on documentary sensibilities to craft a naturalistic portrait of young masculinity rarely afforded such softness. She lets moments breathe, privileging presence over plot and observation over exposition. The integration of British Sign Language and a rich soundscape invites the audience to listen differently – attuned to silence as much as speech. Filmed with an intimate eye on the rugged Scottish coast, the film is shaped by wind, water and weather, yet grounded in human closeness. A quietly radical work, resisting easy resolutions while affirming tenderness as strength.

German premiere