Overview

• Rebecca Lenkiewicz makes her feature directorial debut adapting Deborah Levy’s novel after its Berlinale premiere earlier this year.
• The drama follows Sofia (Emma Mackey) as she cares for her ailing mother Rose (Fiona Shaw) at a remote healing clinic in Almería, Spain.
• Reviewers particularly highlight Shaw’s and Mackey’s performances for grounding the film’s intense exploration of mother-daughter dependence.
• Several critics argue that the dense use of symbols—such as hot milk and the sea—sometimes overwhelms the narrative’s coherence.
• A subplot sees Sofia’s romance with Ingrid (Vicky Krieps) echoing her toxic bond with her mother, underscoring the persistence of intergenerational trauma.