Milk of Sorrow

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE – BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
WINNER GOLDEN BEAR – THE BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL

Stricken with a pathological fear she contracted from her mother's breast milk -- the "milk of sorrow," a condition suffered by women who were raped during Peru's civil wars -- Fausta (Magaly Solier) goes to extreme lengths to protect her own sexuality and safety. But when her anguished mother finally dies, Fausta finds herself compelled to embark on a frightening journey that could lead her to freedom and wholeness. Claudia Llosa directs this Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Film.

“As with Annie, it's the opening number that sets the tone. A very old, very ill Peruvian woman sings about how she was brutally raped during the guerrilla uprisings of the 1980s. Then she dies. It's extraordinary: an immediately arresting mix of the mordant and the moving. The rest of the movie – winner of the Golden Bear in Berlin, nominated for a best foreign language Oscar – continues in the same key, as the focus shifts to her daughter, Fausta who fears she'll suffer the same fate. The legacy of upset is at the heart of Llosa's brilliant film. It's also surprisingly subtle and funny. Its optimism is evidence of its virtuosity.” – Catherine Shoard, Guardian

“The decades of violence in Peru (1970-90's) form the background for this deliberately-paced but beautiful film by Claudia Llosa. The film is gorgeously shot and contains a plethora of haunting images. Llosa and her cinematographer Natasha Braier also know how to frame their shots in an off-center manner that is highly suggestive. The most powerful technique in the film is surely the haunting songs that first her mother, then Fausta, sing throughout, and these will linger in most viewers' memories for a long time.” – The Hollywood Reporter