Joe Locke is stepping into darker territory with Black Church Bay, a new queer psychological thriller in which the Heartstopper star plays a student whose disappearance threatens to expose a secret relationship with his teacher. The film, written and directed by Rhys Marc Jones, also stars Tom Cullen, known for the acclaimed gay romance Weekend.
Set in a small coastal community in Wales, the story follows Jasper, played by Locke, and Barry, a deputy head teacher portrayed by Cullen. After the two spend a weekend together, Jasper disappears, leaving Barry facing an impossible choice: reveal their relationship and risk exposing his private life, or remain silent as the investigation intensifies.
A very different role for Joe Locke
Audiences first came to know Locke as Charlie Spring in Heartstopper, a character whose relationship with Nick Nelson became one of television’s most recognisable portrayals of young queer love. Black Church Bay, however, takes a considerably darker approach to sexuality, secrecy and the consequences of repression.
Jasper is an openly gay sixth-form student, while Barry is an older man whose position at the school gives their relationship an inherent imbalance of power. Rather than presenting their involvement as a conventional romance, the film uses the disappearance to explore the consequences of a relationship that Barry is desperate to conceal.
The role represents a significant departure for Locke, whose work since Heartstopper has included Marvel’s Agatha All Along and the West End production of Clarkston. His participation in Black Church Bay continues that move towards more complex adult material.
Tom Cullen returns to queer cinema
Cullen’s involvement brings another familiar name from LGBTQ+ cinema into the production. His performance opposite Chris New in Andrew Haigh’s 2011 film Weekend remains one of his best-known roles, particularly among audiences drawn to intimate, character-driven queer stories.
In Black Church Bay, Cullen plays a considerably more troubled character. Barry’s attempts to protect his reputation become increasingly difficult as the search for Jasper draws attention to the secrets of the community.
The film’s central conflict goes beyond the question of what happened to the missing student. It also examines the damage caused by shame, the pressures of maintaining a public identity and the moral consequences of protecting a secret at someone else’s expense.
A Welsh thriller with an international audience
Black Church Bay marks the feature directorial debut of Rhys Marc Jones, who also wrote the screenplay. Filmed on the Isle of Anglesey, the production uses the Welsh coastline and its isolated communities as the backdrop for its mystery.
Jones has spoken about his interest in repression, inauthenticity and the ways people behave when they feel unable to live openly. Those themes are central to a film in which the disappearance of one young man gradually reveals tensions beneath the surface of an apparently quiet community.
The film also stars Celyn Jones, Dylan Michael and Julian Lewis Jones. Its combination of psychological suspense and queer subject matter places it in a different tradition from the uplifting coming-of-age stories with which Locke first became associated.
When can audiences watch Black Church Bay?
The film made its world premiere at the Zurich Film Festival on 25 September 2026 and is scheduled to screen at the BFI London Film Festival on 15 October.
It will also receive its Welsh premiere at the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival in Cardiff on 18 October, with Joe Locke expected to attend alongside Tom Cullen and Rhys Marc Jones.
A general theatrical release date has not yet been confirmed.
For fans accustomed to seeing Locke in the romantic world of Heartstopper, Black Church Bay promises a striking change of pace. This time, the actor is at the centre of a story in which queer desire is entangled with secrecy, fear and a disappearance that could destroy several lives.
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