The Milk of Sorrow (La Teta Asustada) poster & wallpaper
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Magaly Solier, Susi Sánchez, Efraín Solís, Marino Ballón, Delci Heredia ... see more see more... , Karla Heredia , Bárbara Lazón

Director Claudia Llosa follows her award-winning feature directorial debut, Madeinusa, with this stark meditation on a grim period of South American history in which approximately 70,000 people were m... read more read more...urdered between the years 1980 and 2000. Fausta (Magaly Solier) has fallen ill with a disease passed down from mother to daughter through breast milk. But Fausta's affliction isn't biological; it strictly affects Peruvian women who were raped or abused during those two terrible decades of persecution. While those days are long gone, Fausta stands as a living reminder of the horrors that once plagued her country, her malady a deep-rooted fear that stripped the young innocent of her soul. After Fausta's mother dies, the horrified girl is forced to confront her greatest fear by staring straight into the black heart of her own paranoia. Now, as Fausta sets out to discover her own path to freedom, she inserts a potato into her vagina in order to protect her body from unwanted intruders. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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65% liked it

8,397 ratings

Critics

80% liked it

35 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: Claudia Llosa

Release Date: August 27, 2010

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DVD Release Date: December 7, 2010

Stats: 318 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (318)

  • fb1216165431
    September 10, 2011
    fb1216165431
    The Milk Of Sorrow develops a complex story of abuse and recovery inspired by the events in Peruvian history circa 1980 to 1992 with aesthetic and metaphorical dimensions. Poetic writing, lush photography and a telling cinematography of rich local Peruvian colors.
  • blacksheepboy
    June 27, 2010
    blacksheepboy
    A moving film, focusing on the belief that the trauma experienced by the many women raped during the years of terrorism in Peru has been passed on to the following generations. A solid story, relying on a very beautiful performance by Magaly Solier.
  • gator681
    September 21, 2011
    gator681
    While participating in the rehearsal for her cousin Maxima's(Maria del Pilar Guerrero) wedding, Fausta(Magaly Solier) falls so ill that it cannot be explained by her usual nosebleeds. At the hospital, she is diagnosed with a potato in her vagina and does not want to be treated. ... read more As she tells her uncle Locido(Marino Ballon), she heard a story about a woman who did the same during the terror and was not raped. Fausta probably heard the story from her mother(Lucy Noriega), now deceased, who she has to find the funds to bury in her native village. To do so, Fausta gets a job at the Big House but does not get an advance on her wages.

    What easily could have been on the level of a very silly episode of "House," instead turns out to be an understated allegory of Peru that is admittedly more than a little predictable. On the one hand, everybody seems to be getting married, leading to a worldwide fabric shortage and most people with little spending money. Or they are people like Fausta who carry the psychic baggage of past generations around with them. She is haunted from songs her mother used to sing, not transmitted through breast milk, which just goes to show you that there is some truth in myths.
  • John2223
    April 1, 2010
    John2223
    "The milk of sorrow" is believed to be a disease she contracted through drinking her mother's breast milk, and has caused her soul to be lost. While the script is very thin and the pace is slow (it's only 95 minutes long but feels longer). It does have several redeeming feature... read mores. Great acting by the leading actress, the photography is usually beautiful and manages to show both the romance and desolation of Peru. The portrayal of day-to-day life for your average working class Peruvian, is completely realistic in its banality.
    Good as a drama but I don't really think it is one of the world's best foreign language films of 2009.
  • kylemydude
    February 27, 2010
    kylemydude
    Very emotional film, filled with symbolism and beautiful cinematography. Good performance from Magaly Solier as well.
  • mvieaddict
    February 8, 2010
    mvieaddict
    An 2010 Oscar Nominee movie for best foreign movie and coming from Peru. La Teta asustada told the story of Fausta, a very shy lady, coming from the poor villages of Peru. Her mother was raped by terrorists some 25 years ago, so she did not know her father. She drunk her mother's... read more milk, which made her be afraid of life. This movie was beautiful, strange but it combines a very, very strong performance by Magaly Solier, and a her struggle to survive in a very typical Latin American city.

View All The Milk of Sorrow (La Teta Asustada) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Sheri Linden
September 2, 2010
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times

The metaphors are so crystal-clear and the story unfolds at such a deliberate, often infuriatingly slow pace that the impact of the drama is muted. Full Review

V.A. Musetto
August 27, 2010
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

Claudia Llosa, the director and co-writer, favors wide shots and long takes, which lend an air of realism to the beautifully shot allegory. Full Review

Ella Taylor
August 24, 2010
Ella Taylor, Village Voice

The movie, which won the Golden Bear at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival, is littered with unforgettable images of incongruity, destruction, and, finally, healing. Full Review

Peter Brunette
February 2, 2010
Peter Brunette, Hollywood Reporter

The film is gorgeously shot and contains a plethora of haunting images...

Boyd van Hoeij
February 19, 2009
Boyd van Hoeij, Variety

Peruvian realities and Llosa's light magical realism mesh to create a vivid picture of a society and its problems. Full Review

Annlee Ellingson
September 7, 2010
Annlee Ellingson, Moving Pictures Magazine

The surface of Llosa's film may be placid, but the undercurrent of emotion is strong. She demonstrates exquisite control. Full Review

Kent Turner
August 27, 2010
Kent Turner, Film-Forward.com

In due course, the painstakingly composed cinematography seduces the viewer. Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
August 27, 2010
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

A troubling Peruvian film about how violence lingers in the minds, bodies, and souls of its victims. Full Review

Matthew Turner
August 27, 2010
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon

Heavily allegorical, frequently impenetrable and ultimately frustrating. Full Review

Kam Williams
August 26, 2010
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze

An evocative character study painting a grim, if visually-captivating, portrait of a tormented soul suffering in silence while delivering a powerful message about the consequences of rape radiating ac... Full Review

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