Set against the sweltering backdrop of coastal Spain, Hot Milk is shaping up to be one of the most emotionally-charged and visually rich queer dramas of the summer.
Based on Deborah Levy’s acclaimed 2016 novel, the film stars Sex Education's Emma Mackey as Sofia, a young woman caught between her ailing mother (Fiona Shaw) and surrendering to the intoxicating pull of Ingrid (Vicky Krieps), a seductive traveler she meets along the way.
Written and directed by Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Disobedience) and shot like a hazy dream by cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt, the movie promises a slow-burn of identity, repression, desire, and unraveling family ties—all wrapped in a heat-soaked psychological drama.
It premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in February but hits theaters later this year. Ahead of its release, IndieWire released an exclusive trailer—and if first impressions mean anything, this is one lesbian coming-of-age film we cannot miss.
Keep reading for our full breakdown of the trailer, and why we think Hot Milk is about to become your next queer cinema obsession.
IFC Films
This is not the Barbie version of Mackey, nor is it the same as her Maeve Wiley character in Sex Education. The character of Sofia comes across as a lot darker and more twisted, so much so that the trailer even shows her on-screen lover referring to her as a monster. Either way, we cannot wait to see what she does with this role.
IFC Films
Whoever cast Mackey and Krieps as the onscreen couple deserves a raise. Even though we haven’t seen how this will all play out yet, it looks like these two might go down as one of our favorite onscreen lesbian couples.
IFC Films
The movie is categorized as a coming-of-age psychological drama on IMDb, and the trailer depicts that without needing to be told. It looks to us like it’ll be a slow burn well worth the wait.
IFC Films
Sometimes, trailers give away too much, but this trailer gave away just the right amount to get us intrigued. Everything from the story to the acting to the color grading looks award-worthy, and we can’t wait to see how many it acquires after it’s released.
IFC Films
Listen, we’ve had a lot of Harry Potter alumni appearing in some high-profile films and TV recently—we’re looking at you, Jason Isaacs in The White Lotus—and Hot Milk is no exception. Fiona Shaw, who played Aunt Petunia in Potter, takes on the role of Sofia’s mother, Rose. From what we’ve seen in the trailer, she’s about to deliver, honey.
Hot Milk debuts in theaters on Friday, June 27, from IFC Films. Check out the trailer below.
