Movies Set at Sea

Few settings strip a story down like open water. With no easy way off the boat, the films set at sea collected here turn the ocean into pressure cooker, antagonist, and entire horizon — tagged by the era and the waters each one sails.

Explore all movies set at sea →

• 2022

  Aftersun

  Turkey · New York City — 1990s · 2020s
  Coastal Sea · Urbandir. Charlotte Wells
• 2018

  Annihilation

  Florida — 2010s
  Wilderness · Coastal Sea · Undergrounddir. Alex Garland
• 2007

  Atonement

  London — 1930s · 1940s · 2000s
  Rural · Urban · Coastal Sea · Undergrounddir. Joe Wright
• 2013

  Before Midnight

  Greece — 2010s
  Coastal Sea · Rural · Urbandir. Richard Linklater
• 1996

  Breaking the Waves

  Scotland — 1970s
  Rural · Coastal Seadir. Lars von Trier
• 2006

  Children of Men

  London — Near Future
  Urban · Rural · Coastal Seadir. Alfonso Cuarón
• 1981

  Das Boot

  La Rochelle — 1940s
  Coastal Sea · Undergrounddir. Wolfgang Petersen
• 2022

  Decision to Leave

  Busan — 2010s
  Urban · Coastal Sea · Mountaindir. Park Chan-wook
• 2017

  Dunkirk

  Dunkirk — 1940s
  Coastal Sea · Urbandir. Christopher Nolan
• 2004

  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

  New York City · Boston — 2000s
  Suburban · Urban · Coastal Seadir. Michel Gondry
• 1970

  Five Easy Pieces

  Los Angeles · Washington State — 1960s · 1970s
  Rural · Coastal Sea · Urban · Islanddir. Bob Rafelson
• 1975

  Jaws

  New York City — 1970s
  Coastal Sea · Islanddir. Steven Spielberg
• 1962

  Jules and Jim

  Paris · Black Forest — 1910s · 1920s · 1930s
  Urban · Rural · Coastal Seadir. François Truffaut
• 1960

  L'Avventura

  Sicily · Rome — 1960s
  Coastal Sea · Island · Urban · Ruraldir. Michelangelo Antonioni
• 1960

  La Dolce Vita

  Rome — 1950s · 1960s
  Urban · Coastal Sea · Ruraldir. Federico Fellini
• 1954

  La Strada

  Italy — 1950s
  Rural · Coastal Seadir. Federico Fellini
• 2012

  Life of Pi

  Montreal · Pacific Ocean — 1970s · 2000s
  Coastal Sea · Island · Urbandir. Ang Lee
• 2003

  Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

  Galápagos Islands — 1800s
  Coastal Sea · Islanddir. Peter Weir
• 2016

  Moonlight

  Miami · Atlanta — 1990s · 2000s · 2010s
  Urban · Coastal Seadir. Barry Jenkins
• 1922

  Nosferatu

  Germany — 1800s
  Urban · Rural · Mountain · Coastal Seadir. F. W. Murnau
• 1954

  On the Waterfront

  New York City — 1950s
  Urban · Coastal Seadir. Elia Kazan
• 1966

  Persona

  1960s
  Urban · Coastal Seadir. Ingmar Bergman
• 2023

  Poor Things

  London · Lisbon · Paris · Alexandria — 1800s
  Urban · Coastal Seadir. Yorgos Lanthimos
• 2019

  Portrait of a Lady on Fire

  France — 1800s · 1700s
  Island · Coastal Sea · Ruraldir. Céline Sciamma
• 1981

  Raiders of the Lost Ark

  Cairo · Washington, D.C. — 1930s
  Wilderness · Urban · Coastal Sea · Island · Undergrounddir. Steven Spielberg
• 1940

  Rebecca

  Monte Carlo · Cornwall — 1930s
  Coastal Sea · Ruraldir. Alfred Hitchcock
• 2000

  Requiem for a Dream

  New York City · Miami — 1990s
  Urban · Coastal Seadir. Darren Aronofsky
• 2018

  Roma

  Mexico City — 1970s
  Urban · Coastal Sea · Ruraldir. Alfonso Cuarón
• 1954

  Sansho the Bailiff

  Japan — Medieval
  Rural · Coastal Seadir. Kenji Mizoguchi
• 1998

  Saving Private Ryan

  Normandy — 1940s
  Rural · Coastal Sea · Urbandir. Steven Spielberg
• 1959

  Some Like It Hot

  Chicago · Florida — 1920s
  Urban · Coastal Seadir. Billy Wilder
• 2021

  Spencer

  London · Norfolk — 1990s
  Rural · Coastal Seadir. Pablo Larraín
• 2006

  Still Life

  China — 2000s
  Urban · Rural · Coastal Seadir. Jia Zhangke
• 1927

  Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

  1920s
  Rural · Urban · Coastal Seadir. F. W. Murnau
• 1959

  The 400 Blows

  Paris — 1950s
  Urban · Coastal Seadir. François Truffaut
• 2022

  The Banshees of Inisherin

  1920s
  Island · Rural · Coastal Seadir. Martin McDonagh
• 1998

  The Big Lebowski

  Los Angeles — 1990s
  Urban · Coastal Seadir. Joel Coen
• 1999

  The Color of Paradise

  Tehran · Iran — 1990s
  Rural · Wilderness · Coastal Seadir. Majid Majidi
• 1974

  The Godfather Part II

  New York City · Cuba · Las Vegas — 1900s · 1910s · 1920s · 1950s
  Urban · Rural · Coastal Seadir. Francis Ford Coppola
• 2019

  The Lighthouse

  Island · Coastal Sea · Wildernessdir. Robert Eggers
• 2012

  The Master

  San Francisco · New York City · London — 1940s · 1950s
  Urban · Coastal Sea · Desertdir. Paul Thomas Anderson
• 2022

  The Northman

  Iceland — Medieval
  Rural · Coastal Sea · Wildernessdir. Robert Eggers
• 1993

  The Piano

  New Zealand — 1800s
  Wilderness · Coastal Sea · Ruraldir. Jane Campion
• 1999

  The Talented Mr. Ripley

  New York City · Italy — 1950s
  Urban · Coastal Seadir. Anthony Minghella
• 1998

  The Thin Red Line

  Guadalcanal — 1940s
  Wilderness · Coastal Sea · Islanddir. Terrence Malick
• 1998

  The Truman Show

  1990s
  Urban · Coastal Sea · Islanddir. Peter Weir
• 1964

  The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

  Cherbourg — 1950s · 1960s
  Coastal Sea · Urbandir. Jacques Demy
• 1995

  The Usual Suspects

  New York City · Los Angeles — 1990s
  Urban · Coastal Seadir. Bryan Singer
• 1973

  The Wicker Man

  Scotland — 1970s
  Island · Rural · Coastal Seadir. Robin Hardy
• 2007

  This Is England

  England — 1980s
  Urban · Suburban · Coastal Seadir. Shane Meadows
• 1994

  Three Colors: Red

  Geneva — 1990s
  Urban · Coastal Seadir. Krzysztof Kieślowski
• 1997

  Titanic

  Atlantic Ocean · New York City · Southampton — 1910s · 1990s
  Coastal Sea · Urbandir. James Cameron
• 1953

  Tokyo Story

  Tokyo · Onomichi — 1950s
  Urban · Coastal Seadir. Yasujirō Ozu
• 2022

  Triangle of Sadness

  2010s · 2020s
  Coastal Sea · Island · Wildernessdir. Ruben Östlund
• 1953

  Ugetsu

  Japan — Early Modern
  Rural · Wilderness · Coastal Seadir. Kenji Mizoguchi
• 1958

  Vertigo

  San Francisco — 1950s
  Urban · Coastal Sea · Ruraldir. Alfred Hitchcock
• 2001

  Y Tu Mamá También

  Mexico City · Mexico — 1990s · 2000s
  Urban · Rural · Coastal Seadir. Alfonso Cuarón