With her second feature The Milk of Sorrow, Peruvian director Claudia Llosa ("Madeinusa") bolsters her reputation as one of the most interesting female directors working in the Americas today. Through the story of a withdrawn maidservant in contemporary Lima, played by winning actress Magaly Solier, the film deals subliminally but forcefully with the wartime traumas of many Peruvian women who are said to have passed their grieves on to their daughters through breastfeeding.

Fausta (Magaly Solier) suffers from a syndrome she contracted from her mother’s milk. It is a psychological illness suffered by children born to women who were raped in Peru during the horrific years of war in the 1970s. The war is long over, but it has deprived Fausta of her childhood and her soul. While living, her mother nourished her with memories and sad songs, but her sudden death forces Fausta to come to grips with the fear she was weaned on. Moreover, she must resolve a secret of her own: because of her continuing fear of being raped, she protects the sanctity of her body in her own peculiar way.

“I only ask of God that He allows me to forget everything” – this phrase, spoken by women struggling with the same fate that Fausta’s mother suffered, was often heard by the film’s lead actress, Magaly Solier. Perhaps the desperation and anger that seized her while listening to the victims contributed to her wonderful performance, and her role as Fausta confirms that she and the director have matured artistically during the four years which have passed since their Madeinusa debut. Winner, Golden Bear - Best Film, and FIPRESCI award, 2009 Berlin Film Festival, and Grand Jury Prize, Best Actress Award at the 2009 Guadalajara Film Festival.