# At the Sea
*At the Sea* is a 2026 drama film directed by the Hungarian filmmaker Kornél Mundruczó and written by Kata Wéber, starring [Amy Adams](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-adams) as Laura, a dancer who returns to her family's [Cape Cod](https://www.edgepedia.org/cape-cod) home after rehabilitation for alcoholism and must rebuild her life without the career that gave her fame and identity.[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/488385/) • [2](https://www.productionlist.com/production/at-the-sea) A United States–Hungary co-production, it premiered in competition at the 76th [Berlin International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/berlin-international-film-festival) on 16 February 2026.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32203967/releaseinfo/) • [1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/488385/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writers | Kornél Mundruczó; screenplay by Mundruczó and Kata Wéber[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/488385/) |
| Lead cast | Amy Adams (Laura), Murray Bartlett (Martin), Rainn Wilson (George), Jenny Slate (Debbie), Brett Goldstein (Keegan), Chloe East (Josie), Dan Levy (Peter)[4](https://www.crew-united.com/en/At-the-Sea__367023.html) |
| Premiere | 16 February 2026, in competition at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32203967/releaseinfo/) • [4](https://www.crew-united.com/en/At-the-Sea__367023.html) |
| Runtime and origin | 112 minutes; United States and Hungary; English language[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/488385/) • [5](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/At-the-Sea-%28Unkn%29) |
| Key crew | Cinematography Yorick Le Saux; editing Dávid Jancsó; music Evgueni and Sacha Galperine; sales agent mk2 Films[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/488385/) |
| Production | Principal photography scheduled for June 2024 in Los Angeles; status completed as of 2026[2](https://www.productionlist.com/production/at-the-sea) |
| Critical reception | 32% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 19 reviews; no distributor or release date announced as of February 2026[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/at_the_sea) • [7](https://www.movieinsider.com/m25155/at-the-sea) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Laura, a dancer who inherited her late father's dance company, returns to the family's beach house on Cape Cod after a long stay in rehab for alcoholism.[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/488385/) • [8](https://www.mediaversityreviews.com/film-reviews/2026/5/18/at-the-sea) Sobriety forces her to confront buried trauma and the question of who she is without the career that once justified her self-destruction.[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/488385/) Her husband Martin does not know how to treat her and oscillates between closeness and distrust; her daughter wants nothing to do with her, and her young son Felix also keeps his distance.[9](https://www.sensacine.com/peliculas/pelicula-1000001976/)
Laura's world is the overlapping one of modern art and philanthropy: she is responsible for 100 jobs at the dance company, but her billionaire friend George foots the bills and feels entitled to call the shots.[8](https://www.mediaversityreviews.com/film-reviews/2026/5/18/at-the-sea) Her husband has told her social circle that she was away in Bali researching a project, knowing how her wealthy, appearance-conscious neighbors would prey on her if they knew she had been in rehab.[10](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/at-the-sea-review-amy-adams-b2921388.html) Dan Levy plays her former assistant, now the ballet company's head of PR, who comes to Cape Cod to persuade her to return to work, and [Rainn Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/rainn-wilson) plays George, the company's benefactor who wants to buy Laura's house.[10](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/at-the-sea-review-amy-adams-b2921388.html) At a press conference, Mundruczó described the film as having much to do with a midlife crisis.[11](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/02/16/berlinale-2026-amy-adams-se-pierde-en-el-melodrama-at-the-sea-la-mirada-a-las-adicciones-del-hungaro-mundruczo-cadena-ser/)
## Production
Mundruczó and Wéber, a husband-and-wife team, made their names with films about modern life in Hungary such as *Delta* (2008) and *[White God](https://www.edgepedia.org/white-god)* (2014); their previous English-language feature, *[Pieces of a Woman](https://www.edgepedia.org/pieces-of-a-woman)* (2020), earned [Vanessa Kirby](https://www.edgepedia.org/vanessa-kirby) an Oscar nomination.[8](https://www.mediaversityreviews.com/film-reviews/2026/5/18/at-the-sea) • [12](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/at-the-sea-review-amy-adams-leads-kornel-mundruczos-uneven-follow-up-to-pieces-of-a-woman/5213968.article) *At the Sea* was scheduled to shoot in Los Angeles in June 2024, with producers including Alexander Rodnyansky, Aaron Ryder, Stuart Manashil, Andrew Swett, Alex Lebovici, and Mundruczó himself.[2](https://www.productionlist.com/production/at-the-sea) • [1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/488385/) Production companies attached included Hammerstone Studios, AR Content, and the Ryder Picture Company.[2](https://www.productionlist.com/production/at-the-sea) The film was reportedly intended to debut at a festival in 2025 but was delayed.[13](https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2026/2/16/at-the-sea-panned-at-berlin-another-amy-adams-clunker)
## Reception
**Berlin premiere.** The film screened for press on the morning of 16 February 2026 and was met with largely negative reviews: IndieWire graded it C, The Hollywood Reporter found "no payoff," Variety called it "forgettable," Screen International "uneven," The Guardian gave it 1/5, TheWrap called it "wafer-thin," and Deadline "dreary."[13](https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2026/2/16/at-the-sea-panned-at-berlin-another-amy-adams-clunker) Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian described it as a humourless, self-adoring tale of upper-middle-class artistic folk yearning for wellness in their Cape Cod home.[14](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/16/at-the-sea-review-amy-adams-plays-it-overly-straight-in-insufferable-upper-middle-class-drama) As of its most recent tally, the film held a 32% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes from 19 reviews.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/at_the_sea)
**Divergent assessments.** Reception was not uniform. Geoffrey Macnab in The Independent praised Adams's performance for its subtlety, restraint, and emotional rawness, predicting she would be in the running for awards; it was the sixth Oscar nomination of her career that reviewers speculated this role might convert.[10](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/at-the-sea-review-amy-adams-b2921388.html) The BBC's Hugh Montgomery gave 4/5, writing that despite its privileged milieu the depth of feeling in Adams's characterization of Laura taps into something universal.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/at_the_sea) Screen International's Lee Marshall called Adams's performance compelling but the drama uneven, lacking the breathless intensity of *Pieces of a Woman*, with a long, slow first act and a more engaging second half.[12](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/at-the-sea-review-amy-adams-leads-kornel-mundruczos-uneven-follow-up-to-pieces-of-a-woman/5213968.article) TheWrap's Ben Croll noted that Mundruczó conceived the project as a showcase for Adams but argued the material, centered on a character he found uninteresting, could not be salvaged even by the director's visual lyricism.[15](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/at-the-sea-review-amy-adams-is-wasted/)
## Release
As of February 2026 the film had no attached distributor, and its release date was listed as to be announced; it was awaiting UK distribution after the Berlinale.[7](https://www.movieinsider.com/m25155/at-the-sea) • [10](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/at-the-sea-review-amy-adams-b2921388.html) mk2 Films handles international sales.[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/488385/)
## References
1. [At the Sea, Cineuropa](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/488385/)
2. [At The Sea, Production List](https://www.productionlist.com/production/at-the-sea)
3. [At the Sea (2026) Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32203967/releaseinfo/)
4. [At the Sea, Crew United](https://www.crew-united.com/en/At-the-Sea__367023.html)
5. [At the Sea (2026), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/At-the-Sea-%28Unkn%29)
6. [At the Sea, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/at_the_sea)
7. [At the Sea, MovieInsider](https://www.movieinsider.com/m25155/at-the-sea)
8. [At the Sea, Mediaversity Reviews](https://www.mediaversityreviews.com/film-reviews/2026/5/18/at-the-sea)
9. [At The Sea, SensaCine](https://www.sensacine.com/peliculas/pelicula-1000001976/)
10. [At the Sea, Berlin Film Festival review, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/at-the-sea-review-amy-adams-b2921388.html)
11. [Berlinale 2026: At the sea, Cadena SER](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/02/16/berlinale-2026-amy-adams-se-pierde-en-el-melodrama-at-the-sea-la-mirada-a-las-adicciones-del-hungaro-mundruczo-cadena-ser/)
12. [At The Sea review, Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/at-the-sea-review-amy-adams-leads-kornel-mundruczos-uneven-follow-up-to-pieces-of-a-woman/5213968.article)
13. [At the Sea panned at Berlin, World of Reel](https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2026/2/16/at-the-sea-panned-at-berlin-another-amy-adams-clunker)
14. [At the Sea review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/16/at-the-sea-review-amy-adams-plays-it-overly-straight-in-insufferable-upper-middle-class-drama)
15. [At the Sea review, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/at-the-sea-review-amy-adams-is-wasted/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Drama and biographical films (individual works) › Drama films 2026 › Historical and social dramas*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
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