Rebecca Lenkiewicz has an impressive resume when it comes to telling female-centric stories. As a screenwriter, she has written the scripts for Ida, She Said, Disobedience and Colette, with each garnering critical acclaim and awards buzz. Now, Lenkiewicz turns her hand to directing with Hot Milk. Whilst she's able to pull extraordinary performances from an incredible cast, it's the narrative adaptation from a tricky book that leaves a lot to be desired.

Sticking close to the source material, Hot Milk sees Rose (Fiona Shaw) in Spain with her daughter, Sofia (Emma Mackey). Rose has a mysterious illness that limits her mobility, and Sofia puts her studies, and life, on hold to take her mother to a controversial doctor (Vincent Perez) in hopes of a cure. Whilst dealing with the eccentric Rose, Sofia begins a journey of discovery after meeting the alluring Ingrid (Vicky Krieps). Their passionate affair gives Sofia much-needed independence, which strains her co-dependent relationship with Rose.

What is immediately apparent is the strength of the cast. Mackey proves yet again that she's leading role material, conveying suppressed emotions and explosive fury with convincing realism. Krieps is mesmerising as always, with her free-spirited nature hiding a dark past. The supporting cast is great, including Perez and Patsy Ferran, but it's Shaw who shines. As the cantankerous Rose, Shaw revels in delivering hilariously brutal lines, but as she is forced to confront the past, Rose's haunted childhood bubbles to the surface in devastating fashion.

But there's only so much the cast can chew on. What doesn't help is the source material, which is a very internalised narrative all told from the first-person perspective of Sofia. Adapting first-person books to screen has been successfully achieved before, but it's a challenging endeavour. Moody expressions only go so far when we don't have much characterisation to grasp and dive into. And unfortunately for Hot Milk, not much is shown or said about these characters.

Lenkiewicz teases character and narrative arcs throughout the runtime. Ingrid and Rose both have skeletons in their proverbial closets. Sofia's sexual exploration is tied to being free of her mother. Questions are raised about what it means to ‘live'. But they don't lead to any profound meaning or conclusion. The film ends in the most hilariously abrupt way, leaving viewers too infuriated to actually sit with the themes presented and form their own thesis.

It's great seeing an adult drama that aims to provoke and challenge audiences, but there isn't enough meat on the bone. After an intriguing setup and engrossing performances, it's a shame to see Hot Milk quickly spiral into a whole load of nothing. The sun-drenched beaches and game cast aren't enough to warrant an extended stay on this trip.

Hot Milk screened at the BFI Flare festival and is in cinemas on 4 July.