An der See

In the late 1940s, a Brussels family revives the pre-war tradition and spends the summer in Ostend. The young, frail Eric plays, feels, tastes, smells, dreams, but above all, he observes what others are up to. His relatives gaze into the distance, toward where England must be. Much later, he fondly and in wonder recalls the beach and the waterfront, the infatuations, and the fear of the last day of vacation. "At the Sea" is a cheerful evocation of summer life and simultaneously describes the two faces of a famous tourist destination before and after the season. An ode to beach life.