Under the relentless sun in the coastal Spanish town of Almería, a chronically ill woman and her daughter/caretaker grapple with years of suppressed tension and resentment as the mother seeks treatment for a mysterious condition that has left her unable to walk. In the oppressive climate of the hot and hazy seaside town, the mother and daughter are left to stew in a cesspool of anger and unresolved trauma which curdles and sours like hot milk. While this may not have been the exact metaphor that author Deborah Levy intended when she wrote her 2016 novel, Hot Milk, it’s hard not to think about the sensory connotations of the title when watching writer/director Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s film adaptation. Grounded by intense performances from Emma Mackey (Barbie) and Fiona Shaw (the Harry Potter franchise), Lenkiewicz’s film exudes a strong sense of place with immersive sensory details, relying on the hot, dry climate to accelerate the tension between its two main characters. The result is a slow-burning drama that leaves you with rich and haunting themes to ponder.
L-R: Emma Mackey as Sofia and Vicky Krieps as Ingrid in Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s HOT MILK. Photo courtesy of Nikos Nikolopoulos. An IFC Films Release.
Mackey stars as Sofia, a part-time anthropology student and a full-time caretaker for her mother, Rose (Shaw). The mother-and-daughter pair have traveled from London to Almería to consult with Dr. Gomez (Vincent Perez (At Eternity’s Gate)), or just “Gomez,” as he likes to be called, about Rose’s confounding condition. While Sofia is undeniably loyal to her mother, catering to each whim with a nod and a forced smile, she’s also fed up and losing her ability to hide it. At times, her mother seems to take pleasure in her illness, milking it for all its worth and using her condition to exert control over Sofia. Longing for a simpler life free from her mother’s endless needs, Sofia takes advantage of their time in Almería by going on walks, swimming at the beach, and studying at scenic local restaurants, which is where she meets the whimsical and perfectly bohemian Ingrid (Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread and Old)). Sofia is instantly enchanted by Ingrid and her free-spirited lifestyle, beginning a passionate relationship that gives her reprieve from her role as a caretaker. However, Sofia can’t ignore the growing tension between herself and her mother for long. As the long, hot days go by, her relationship with Ingrid reveals deep-rooted insecurities and eventually leads Sofia to a few difficult revelations about herself and her mother.
L-R: Fiona Shaw as Rose and Emma Mackey as Sofia in Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s HOT MILK. Photo courtesy of Nikos Nikolopoulos. An IFC Films Release.
As a first-time director, Lenkiewicz (writer, She Said and Ida) executes a strong and cohesive artistic vision in Hot Milk, creating an immersive story in which sensory details are everything. She establishes the setting with pensive outdoor shots, repeated images of Sofia staring at the ceiling on still, sweaty nights, and thoughtfully framed shots of the cramped interior of Sofia and Rose’s poorly lit rental home. With every aspect of the film, from images of the hazy horizon to Rose’s continual requests for a fresh glass of water, Lenkiewicz draws our attention to the sun and heat, creating an oppressive atmosphere in which the mother/daughter tension brews. She enhances that sense of oppression with a tense soundscape, creating feelings of anxiety with the shrill sounds of an unanswered telephone, buzzing mosquitoes, and a dog that never stops barking. And yet, as she draws parallels between the relentlessness of the climate and Sofia’s burdensome role as her mother’s caretaker, she simultaneously captures the setting as a charming and magical space that holds all the freedom Sofia desires. In one moment, the sea is a cool, refreshing escape for Sofia; in the next moment, it’s a harbinger of danger. In one scene, the still heat of the night is a claustrophobic crucible in which Sofia and her mother argue; in the next scene, it’s a sensual and passionate escape for Sofia and Ingrid. Lenkiewicz skillfully captures the setting as both a symbol of freedom and a reminder of Sofia’s oppression, prompting us to consider the inherent contradictions in the protagonist’s desires.
L-R: Emma Mackey as Sofia and Fiona Shaw as Rose in Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s HOT MILK. Photo courtesy of Nikos Nikolopoulos. An IFC Films Release.
But, despite the richness of the setting, there’s also something flat about the film. After establishing a wistful, languid mood with deep-rooted tension, Hot Milk gets stuck, taking its sweet time to do anything with that tension. You can easily pick out the scenes where the tension should rise. But in those key moments, we’re kept at a distance from Sofia and her inner thoughts, left to observe her subtle shifts in emotion and imagine the intense feelings she’s bottling up inside. It makes sense for Sofia to suppress her emotions; in fact, it’s a crucial part of her character. But for our part, as the audience of this slow-burning drama, we need something to let us know what’s going on inside the protagonist’s head, where all the real action is taking place. Between almost every scene, there’s a series of shots in which Sofia is looking off into the distance or staring at her ceiling, presumably processing whatever conversation she just had with Ingrid or her mother. During these moments, you can assume that Sofia’s mind is an intense storm of emotion, but the action on screen is frustratingly calm and still. Without having read the book, it’s easy to imagine the passages that inspired these shots: Sofia contemplating her mother’s inability to walk as she watches a group of graceful flamenco dancers, Sofia considering the darkness of her mother’s life as she stares at the dark ceiling of her room, or Sofia longing for freedom as she stares at the horizon (you get the idea). These contemplative moments would make beautiful passages in a novel. But, on screen, they’re repetitive and tedious, prolonging the transition from one significant scene to the next. To the film’s credit, it does attempt to show us Sofia’s inner world with a recurring vision/dream in which she’s sitting in her mother’s wheelchair, but these visions are few and far between. When Sofia’s emotions finally do break through, it’s jarring and intense, leaving us to wonder how our protagonist got here.
L-R: Vicky Krieps as Ingrid and Emma Mackey as Sofia in Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s HOT MILK. Photo courtesy of Nikos Nikolopoulos. An IFC Films Release.
While the emotional arc of Hot Milk may not be the most effective, you can’t say that it’s not cohesive. It is deliberately slow, an artistic decision that Lenkiewicz sees through to the end, for better or worse. Her clear vision for the film is also evident in the nuanced performances from Emma Mackey and Fiona Shaw. While it’s frustrating that Hot Milk keeps Sofia and her inner world at such a distance, Mackey fully embraces the character’s suppressed emotions with strong resolve, revealing the cracks in Sofia’s emotional walls at just the right moments. Mackey effectively captures Sofia’s longing, frustration, and resentment, all buried beneath a deep sense of allegiance to her mother. With every glance, every clench of her jaw, and every little wince, we see Sofia’s desire for freedom. Fiona Shaw also delivers an intense and committed performance, oscillating between the hopeful, cooperative patient who will try anything to get better and the manipulative mother who seems to take delight in her malady. Burying herself beneath layers of emotion, she creates a multifaceted character who is frustratingly flawed and also unmistakably traumatized.
L-R: Vicky Krieps as Ingrid and Emma Mackey as Sofia in Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s HOT MILK. Photo courtesy of Nikos Nikolopoulos. An IFC Films Release.
These solid performances provide the energy and stability needed for Lenkiewicz to focus on the setting and sensory details, creating enough of a hook to balance out the slow and often stagnant plot. Hot Milk requires a patient audience that can stick with it through unconventional pacing and narrative techniques that don’t always work. But, throughout the film, we’re rewarded with engaging performances that drive the story forward. Eventually, the tedious narrative style pays off with a haunting and climactic final scene that reframes the entire film, providing the context and emotional intensity needed for us to break down the story and find meaning in Sofia and Rose’s strained relationship. While not without its flaws, Hot Milk is a beautiful and poetic film that slowly but tenaciously chips away at its characters to reveal a biting and convicting commentary about familial attachments and generational trauma.
In theaters June 27th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Independent Film Company Hot Milk webpage.
Final Score: 3.5 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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