The Netflix series Sєx Education had the honor of introducing the world to several actors who would go on to become major stars. This includes Ncuti Gatwa, who was later cast in Doctor Who, and Aimee Lou Wood, who played Chelsea in this year’s The White Lotus season 3. In some cases, Sєx Education helped establish the onscreen idenтιтy of these budding stars, and they played similar roles later on. Such was the case with Emma Mackey in her recent role in H๏τ Milk.

H๏τ Milk‘s story alone sees Mackey fill a similar role as Maeve in Sєx Education. Mackey plays a young Irish woman named Sofia who is made to take time off from her studies to help her mother, Rose, who is suffering from a mysterious illness. While Sofia is committed to family, she is also burdened by her mother, who doesn’t fully appreciate everything she does for her. Directed and written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, H๏τ Mik is a psychological drama that has some pitfalls, but boasts strong performances and other attributes.

The Acting & Script Contribute To Fleshed-Out Characters

The Influence Of Lenkiewicz’s Past Work Is Visible

H๏τ Milk may be a directorial debut, but Lenkiewicz is far from inexperienced within the film industry. She has been an actress and worked behind the scenes as a writer on many films. Several of these films have been critically acclaimed, including Ida, She Said, and Disobedience.

A lot of Lenkiewicz’s stories are nuanced portraits of complex women, and H๏τ Milk is no exception. The best part of the film is the dynamism of the leading duo. The characters are in a tough spot as Rose suffers from her illness and genuinely needs help from Sofia. At the same time, it does keep Sofia from fully realizing her dreams. I felt for both of these characters, which is a testament to Lenkiewicz’s writing skills.

Some fantastic performances help to ground Lenkiewicz’s already strong writing. Mackey may be playing a role that is incredibly Maeve-coded, but she does so remarkably well. Looking at her H๏τ Milk performance as a whole, she actually has very little dialogue, especially considering she plays the lead role. To account for this, Mackey has an expressive face that employs appropriate levels of restraint as things increasingly weigh Sofia down, until she reaches her breaking point.

Fiona Shaw is also fantastic in her supporting role as Rose. While she is sympathetic, the character is so frustrating, and Shaw’s line delivery emphasizes this. In a scene from H๏τ Milk‘s second act, Rose says:

Sofia, do you think you’ll ever finish your studies? You have a tough time finishing things.

The writing itself is strong here, showing how much Rose undervalues her daughter’s sacrifices. But it is Shaw’s quick-release, fast-talking line delivery that really sells moments like this. The character almost becomes a key part of the film’s sound design, as the rhythms of her lines consume tangible airspace that drives Sofia crazy.

The Atmosphere Is Alluring, But The Pacing Drags At Times

It Takes A While For Things To Gain Momentum

When it comes to making use of its surrounding environment, H๏τ Milk is one of the more intentional movies I have seen in a while. Though it takes place on the beautiful Spanish coast, Lenkiewicz doesn’t over-rely on the landscape to tell the story. Though she has moments of freedom on the beach or elsewhere, the cinematography emphasizes the suffocating claustrophobia of much of Sofia’s life, stuck inside helping her mom. The film takes its time to establish this clear sense of atmosphere, aided by a notably great sound mix.

However, H๏τ Milk had too much ᴅᴇᴀᴅ air at times. Clocking in at 92 minutes, it is a fairly short feature film, and yet it was not really until the last 20 minutes that things accelerated for Sofia. This led to an unbalanced film that drags a lot in its middle section. In the end, sometimes the atmosphere dominated a bit too much.

The Ending Will Frustrate A Lot Of People

But It Will Still Keep Me Thinking

I will applaud Lenkiewicz in that she crafted an ending I will be thinking about for a long time. That being said, I’m not sure ambiguity was the way to go for a movie that was fairly slow-moving as a whole. While I will not spoil what ultimately happens, it involves Sofia truly reaching a new breaking point, causing her to make rash decisions. However, H๏τ Milk neglects to spell out the result of that decision (nor does it even give a vague sound cue to point to a clue), leaving me puzzled, and likely leaving some quite unsatisfied.