FILM SCREENINGS

The Milk of Sorrow

2008. Spain/Peru. Directed by Claudia Llosa. Fausta, the only daughter of an aged indigenous Peruvian mother, is said to have been nursed on "the milk of sorrow," an accursed designation that is bestowed on the children of victims of the former terrorist regime. Fausta has learned of her mother's past and her own pre-supposed fate through invented song, which is both an art form and oral-history tradition. Upon her mother's death, she must venture beyond the safety of her uncle's home and choose whether or not to lend her gift of song to pay for a proper burial. Magaly Solier is a revelation as the tortured and ultimately triumphant Fausta, bringing her inherited pain and discovery of inner power to the screen with dignity and grace. Winner of the Golden Bear for best film at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival. 100 min.