All by Women is a new category introduced into the Spanish Film Festival’s program this year. This section’s aim is to showcase the work of Spanish and Latin American female directors, who have had a significant impact on world cinema. Claudia Llosa’s The Milk of Sorrow (2009) is an excellent example of why this addition to the program is so important; highlighted by the international recognition and success her Peruvian/Spanish film has received; winning the Golden Bear at Berlin (2009) and the nomination for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar (2010).
The film’s title, The Milk of Sorrow refers to the name given to the children of victims of state-sponsored violence in Peru (1980-1992). This period in Peruvian history saw intense fighting between The Shining Path, a Maoist influence group and the State, whose actions included the torture and rape of ‘suspected terrorists’, leaving a permanent stain on Peru’s history. The folk belief is that the trauma the mother suffered is transmitted to her children through breast milk. It is the impact of violence on the next generation that Llosa examines in her film, which she wrote as well as directed.
The film follows Fausta (Magaly Solier) who is a generation separated from the violence, but whose total existence has been infected by the trauma. Her mother (Bárbara Lazón) has sung her songs through her childhood about the sexual violence she endured. Labelled as one nursed on the milk of sorrow, Fausta’s constant fear (of being alone, of men and of being the victim of sexual assault) is seen by her extended family as the unavoidable conclusion to her mother’s suffering. When her mother dies Fausta, who has a beautiful singing voice, is forced to leave her safe haven and earn money to pay to transport her mother’s body to her home village.
Magaly Solier is absolutely mesmerising on screen. Discovered by Llosa for her first film, Madeinusa (2006), this actor/director combination creates magic on the screen. Llosa’s work, which combines dreamlike lyricism with social realism, is heightened by Solier’s amazing screen presence and her exquisite singing. While the subject matter of The Milk of Sorrow is at times hard-going, as you would expect from a film that is in essence a meditation on violence against women, the visual beauty brings out the charm of contemporary Peru, allowing the audience to both consider the context of the film and appreciate the stunning cinematography. The festival program has said it best - ‘An unmissible artistic highlight of the Festival.’
First published on the Spanish Film Festival Blog 03/05/10
