Hot Milk

This film hit a nerve.

It's not about explosive drama, it's about the quiet, suffocating violence of emotional entanglement: love laced with dependency, boundaries blurred. The daughter is stuck in a role she never chose, blamed for not doing enough, while slowly disappearing in the process.

The constant reaching for water feels symbolic, an effort to swallow discomfort, avoid truth, dilute tension. Conversations dissolve, emotions go undigested.

Visually stunning in its discomfort: blinding brightness clashes with sudden darkness. You're never quite at ease, and that's the point.

And then, unexpectedly, some moments are... funny? Not laugh-out-loud, but absurd in a way that's either painfully relatable or too surreal to take seriously. You're not always sure if the humor is intentional - which somehow makes it even better. Like dissociation in cinematic form.

Maybe too niche or emotionally raw for some. But if you know this kind of silence, the kind that weighs more than words, this film will find you.

This does come to quite an head in the last five minutes and there's a solid performance from Fiona Shaw at times too, but otherwise I struggled to see much point in this rather shallow drama. "Rose" (Shaw) hasn't been able to walk for almost twenty years so has mortgaged her house so she can attend a specialist clinic run by "Gomez" (Vincent Perez). She is accompanied by her daughter "Sophia" (Emma Mackey) who, whilst she obviously loves her mother, is clearly a bit fed up being her constant carer. I think that fairly swiftly we can deduce something of the nature of the older woman's problems, but that isn't really the crux of this story. That has more to do with "Sophia" and her relationship with "Ingrid" (Vicky Krieps) whose enigmatic personality and character entrance and infuriate her, even more so when her friend "Matty" (Yang Gael) shows up to muddy the already pretty confused waters. With this uninteresting scenario bubbling along lethargically and Shaw just complaining about the water the whole time, we are now largely left to furnish the story with our own interpretation of what we think is most likely going on and then, certainly in my case, ask just why I ought to care one way or the other. The raffia-mafia have had a hand in the characterisation of "Ingrid" and I'm afraid that even though it's filmed on a lovely Greek beach I just couldn't get into it. It's had some decent effort put into the production, but it will look fine on a winter's evening on the television. Not so much hot, more tepid.

I really don't understand the low ratings. This movie is so underrated that I am certain that it will be appreciated a lot more when it finds its audience very soon after the first weeks of its release.

The cinematography and music are very beautiful and emotionally captivating. The narrative is not linear, but, nevertheless, it keeps you interested until the very end.

I think everyone who deems himself to be a very attentive and introspective person will enjoy this movie very much.

There are some similarities to Sorrentino's Parthenope, for example, that the protagonist studies anthropology, but her interest in human behavior is not only limited to the theoretical aspects of said subject, but also to the practicalities of its application, which is directed very subtly, and, sometimes, also quite intense.

I don't want to spoil the plot, which is very minimalistic, but not in the least less interesting or dense, quite the contrary, there is a lot to unpack, especially psychologically.

If you like to watch movies in an open and experiential way (and for the vibes; I almost started smoking for that matter, lol), and you are also keen to, maybe, untie some of your own emotional inner knots, you will most definitely enjoy this innocently passionate and painfully life-affirming movie.

After the credits roll, Hot Milk leaves you with the strange taste of over-boiled milk-bitter and lacking something essential.

*** The protagonist's journey is shaped by her interactions with those around her, particularly in her tumultuous relationship with her mother and her complicated love life.

Yet, despite these emotional dynamics, the film feels disjointed, as if the narrative lacks a clear purpose.

The script, unfortunately, falls short. Information is doled out sparingly, making the plot feel underdeveloped. Potentially intriguing parallel stories are introduced but never fully explored. The ending, too, seems forced, attempting to provoke an emotional response but ultimately feeling hollow.

*** On the bright side, the film benefits from a strong performance from Irish actress Fiona Shaw, whose portrayal brings depth to her character. Additionally, the photography shines, with stunning shots of the Mediterranean sun and sea.

Hot Milk is the kind of movie where it's visual presentation, strong performances and interesting concept is surrounded, but the lack of emotional weight within the characters and struggling structure fails to achieve it's potential.

The beautiful camerawork and colors really helps to establish the setting and the atmosphere. Offering some good insights of what the director wants to display and discuss. The performances from Emma Mackey, Vicky Krieps, and Fiona Shaw were all pretty good and does offer some solid chemistry between one another. I did enjoy some of the concepts that the writing was offering, especially some of the developing dynamics between mother and daughter and conflicts of connection.

However, that is where the movie struggles because the writing doesn't fully develop it's characters throughly, enough to the point where the emotional weight and tone doesn't really connect. Which made it a bit difficult to engage with the characters at certain points. Alongside with some awkward dialogue.

Overall, it has some strong moments but it's not something I would see again soon.