‘Hot Milk’: Emma Mackey Finds Her Voice in Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s Searing Drama

Sandra Miska

At 25, Sofia (Emma Mackey), the woman at the center of Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s striking “Hot Milk,” should be living a fully independent life, but she is instead enmeshed in a codependent relationship with her mother, wheelchair-bound Rose (Fiona Shaw). For unexplained reasons, Rose has been unable to walk since Sofia was a little girl. Lenkiewicz’s adaptation of Deborah Levy’s novel of the same name follows the pair during a visit to a seaside Spanish town for Rose to seek treatment from Dr. Gomez (Vincent Price), a holistic physician who employs unconventional, even questionable methods. 

When she is not required at her mother’s side, Sofia carves at time for herself to explore the natural beauty and wonders around her, and this interlude allows for her to pursue a relationship with Ingrid (Vicky Krieps), an older free-spirited German seamstress. What starts off as an act of rebellion and a long-delayed sexual awakening turns into something else when it becomes apparent that Rose and Ingrid are more similar than Sofia and the viewer would think.

From the start, Lenkiewicz had her work cut out for her with this adaptation, which is her directorial debut. She told Entertainment Voice, “The challenge was that in the book, it’s first person. Ninety-five percent of the book is Sofia’s thoughts, so you know from the outset how she is, how she’s thinking, her rhythms.” She decided against the easy solution, a voice-over, which could have been intrusive. Instead, she worked closely with Mackey, who also prepared independently to best understand her character, to create compelling scenes with minimal or no dialogue. For example, Sofia’s mounting frustrations, which she mostly keeps bottled in front of her mother, come through when she confronts a neighbor about a neglected, barking dog in one memorable scene.

Shaw is brilliant as Rose, who is both an object of pity and a pain in her daughter’s arse. She seems to want to be healed, but there is strong evidence that her condition is psychosomatic. She also drains her daughter’s time and energy without even realizing what she is doing. As Shaw put it during an interview with EV, Rose acts disappointed that her daughter left graduate school, but never stops to consider that she is the reason why Sofia has thus far failed to launch. “She’s oblivious of her daughter, but most people are pretty oblivious of their children,” explained the veteran actress. 

At first glance, Sofia’s passionate summer romance with Ingrid seems like a nice break from her caregiver duties. Rose does not seem to care for her daughter’s new friend, and not for the reason one might think. “One damaged person recognizes another,” stated Shaw. Like Rose, Ingrid has a helpless streak, and it turns out that both women have unresolved childhood trauma stemming from incidents with their respective sisters. All of this, on top of a quick trip to Greece to visit her estranged father and his new family that offers her no clarity, sounds messy, but in a satisfying twist, actually propels Sofia to finally stand on her own and find her voice. This buildup leads to a shocking conclusion that is sure to divide viewers.

“Hot Milk” releases June 27 in theaters nationwide.