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Sweet Milk Lake
Wed
21
Wed 21 Oct 4:00 PM
Palace Nova Eastend: Cinema 8
General Admission
94 Mins
Star of stage and screen Harvey Zielinski turns in a remarkable performance as twin brothers, the cis Sam and trans Jake, in his astonishingly layered feature debut as writer, director, star and producer. Jake is spinning out in Melbourne clubs where his transness seems to take precedence over his humanity, so it’s a relief to jump on a bus and head back to Sweet Milk, the country town where he grew up, to mend bridges with his estranged and ailing dad, Lee (Kieran Darcy-Smith). But when Lee mistakes Jake for Sam, the newfound privileges offered by temporarily donning this mask are flanked by possible pitfalls. Sure, his dad’s suddenly much closer, as is joyously queer First Nations lad Toby (The Sapphires star Hunter Page-Lochard). But it also brings danger, in the unpredictable form of Sam’s vikings and archery-loving former schoolmate, Mark (David Howell). Nominated for the MIFF Bright Horizons Award and CinefestOZ Film Prize, Zielinski’s remarkable debut announces an exhilarating new Australian voice.