Hot Milk

Just putting this here to balance out the reviews.

Honestly, it's a very well made film. If you have had people like this in your life it'll feel very realistic and relatable. It was a slow burn and maybe not super tight but I would recommend it regardless. Lots of very flawed or traumatised humans trying to relate to each other and their everyday life.

A young woman and her wheelchair bound mother travel to Spain to seek treatment for the mother's possibly psychosomatic condition. Whilst there the daughter meets and starts a lesbian relationship with another young woman. Writer/director Rebecca Lenkiewicz's 2024 feature film adaptation of Deborah Levy's novel is, one assumes, a partly symbolic relationship drama about families and memories and the marks they leave, both physical and otherwise. An Anglo/Greek co-production with Greece standing in for Spain, it's a fairly restrained drama about coping with pain and loss, and forms of entrapment, with it's share of physical manifestations - wheelchairs, jellyfish marks. Although not too bad it could be a hard sell to a mass audience.

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.

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.

Hot Milk is a film that truly shines when it comes to its visual storytelling. The cinematography is one of its strongest assets, with a variety of creative shots and angles that draw the viewer in and create a unique atmosphere throughout. While the storyline can be a bit odd and at times even confusing, the film's visuals do a lot to clarify the emotions and themes at play. The director's use of imagery often speaks louder than the dialogue, making the film feel more like an experience than a straightforward narrative. Although the plot sometimes meanders and leaves questions unanswered, the strong visual direction keeps things interesting and engaging. The performances are solid, and the mood is consistently intriguing, even if the story doesn't always make perfect sense. Overall, Hot Milk is a film that's worth watching for its artistic approach and memorable style, earning a solid 7 out of 10 stars.