The Son and the Sea
A restless young man leaves London for the Scottish coast in search of purpose. Along the way, unexpected friendships force him to confront who he is—and who he might become.
Description
British writer/director Stroma Cairns makes a resonant feature debut with this coming-of-age drama focused on a young man trying to find his place in the world. The film is a family affair as Cairns collaborated on the screenplay with her mother Imogen West and cast as the tempestuous protagonist her brother Jonah West. In his first film role, he impresses as Jonah, who is determined to sort himself but unsure of what that means as he travels from London to Scotland’s Aberdeenshire, his mate Lee (Stanley Brock) in tow. The two make a new friend in deaf Charlie (Connor Tompkins), who is dealing with his own issues. Ruben Woodin Dechamps’s glorious cinematography captures the wild beauty of the Scottish coast as the roiling sea reflects Jonah’s emotional state as he grapples with the uncertainty in his life and what it means to be a man. —Pam Grady
Biographies
London-based Stroma Cairns makes her feature debut with The Son and the Sea. Her previous work includes the short films Style Brokers (2014), Blud (2019), and If You Knew (2019). She also directed episodes of the television series Mood (2022).
