THE MILK OF SORROW (dir. Claudia Llosa) The central conceit or literary metaphor of this mesmerizing film is that mothers who have experienced the horror of rape pass along this trauma to their daughters through breast feeding. Fausta is a Peruvian peasant who has been deeply affected by this abnormal syndrome, and when her mother dies, the film documents Fausta's journey to bury her mother, and then confront and heal the psychological damage done to her by her mother's tragic past. The film has the tone of a hypnotic yet horrifying folk tale that explores the pagan or atavistic undercurrents within lower-class Peruvian society. Nominated for numerous international awards. MUST SEE.

The Milk of Sorrow refers to the belief in Peru of the passing of a pregnant woman's suffering to her infant through her breast milk. Fausta is subjected to the violence of the military and the Shining Path radical group during the unrest of the 1980s Fausta is a poor woman living in the mountains of Peru whose mother has died and because she cannot afford a burial, she puts her under a bed with a wedding dress on top of the dearly departed mom. Fausta was told repeatedly as a child growing up, of her mother's gang rape. She was never sure who her father was. As a result of the trauma, Fausta has inserted a potato into her vagina as a protection against rape; I am not making this up. Fausta is hired by a wealthy pianist to work as a servant. The employer hears her singing songs learned from her mother. She offers her a beads from a broken necklace, but when the woman repeats the music at a concert and receives applause, she fires Fausta without giving her the pearls promised. Magaky Solier plays Fausta in a very subdued, low key manner, which fits the cold and dark tone of the film. The subject matter is grim, but it is based on reality, so expect ninety four minutes of a sad but compelling story.

La teta asustada (or Milk of Sorrow) tells the story of Fausta, a young woman who suffers from the indigenous sickness of being condemned to live in fear forever. Terrorists raped her mother while she was pregnant and imparted her fear to Fausta through her breast milk. The strange awkwardness of the story is uncomfortable at times, but the audience slowly adjusts. This is the famous magical realism that Latin America is known for: the mixing of reality and fantasy in such a way that the impossible starts to seem more and more normal and possible. Having lived and studied in Lima for ten months, although it doesn't make me an expert, I found the film to be an accurate portrayal of life in the impoverished suburbs of the capital city. Mostly indigenous people fleeing from the mountains where terrorism was threatening them settled these dusty settlements on the outskirts of Lima in the 80s and 90s. In these communities indigenous traditions are still practiced and cherished to this day, but as portrayed in the movie there is also the clash of cultures as the people struggle to integrate into the life of the big city of Lima. I enjoyed this movie because it reminded me of all things Peruvian: the scenery, the struggles, the mix of indigenous and modern cultures and the ever important role of the potato.

I was so touched by this film, which is obviously a low budget production. It proves that you do not need a multi-billion budget to make a good movie. I think only women can understand fully the pain and the fear the heroine had to go through. I wonder if they produce a sound track for the movie. The songs by the heroine and that sonata adopted by the pianist were beautiful. Solier is a great actress and her facial features, well, what can I say, is not the kind of glamour you find on screens. She has character, reflecting her heritage. I immediately take a liking of her from the first few scenes.I It is disturbing to find people snubbing such a beautiful movie but I guess everyone to his/her tase.