Straight from the official competition of the Berlin Film Festival comes the debut directorial of the excellent screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz who wrote the Oscar winning screenplay for “Ida” and the lesbian drama “Disobedience”.

“Hot Milk” is a story of a mother and daughter unfolding during a hot Spanish summer and is based on the critically acclaimed novel by Deborah Levy. Sofia (Emma Mackey, star of “Sex Education”) is taking care of her demanding mother Rose (veteran actress Fiona Shaw) who is wheelchair bound. They come to Spain to meet with a local doctor (Vincent Perez) who is known for his unconventional treatments to find a potential medicine for the mother’s mysterious illness.

The visit takes a turn when the young girl meets a German woman on the beach (Vicky Krieps “Love Me Tender”) and allows herself for the first time to test her boundaries and experience sexual enjoyment for the first time on her way to unshackle herself from her mother and towards self-fulfillment and adolescence.

In her debut directorial Rebecca Lenkiewicz explores the interpersonal relationships between a mother and her daughter and creates a thrilling psychological drama that burns itself under the skin. Mackey and Shaw are excellent in the leading roles.