SWEET MILK LAKE

After being mistaken for his twin brother by his estranged and dying dad, a soft-spoken trans man relishes the opportunity to be one of the boys - until the weight of the lie becomes heavier than his need for the truth.

City boy Jake is unemployed, single, and quietly living in his family's shadow - including that of his identical twin brother Sam. On an impulse, he travels to the remote country town of Sweet Milk to see his estranged, terminally ill father, who has no idea Jake has transitioned.

When his father mistakes him for Sam, Jake misses his moment to correct him - and instead finds himself unexpectedly, dangerously welcomed into a version of masculinity he's never been offered before. As a tender romance blossoms with local Toby, and the lie grows harder to maintain, Jake is forced to ask how much of himself he's willing to trade for a place to belong.

Written, directed by, and starring Harvey Zielinski in the dual roles of Jake and Sam, SWEET MILK LAKE is a bold, funny, deeply lived-in Australian debut about identity, masculinity and the long road to self-acceptance

A Critics' Pick at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival

English