I'll tell you why so serious

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

La teta asustada is no action-packed thriller by any stretch of the imagination. But it is an emotional documentation of the saddening story of Fausta, an indigenous Peruvian woman who lives with her mother next to her aunt, uncle, and cousins.Throughout the movie, Fausta is subjected to a multitude of hardships, beginning with the death of her mother. The film begins with a somber song sung by Fausta mother that recounts her rape and contraception of Fausta during the time of terrorism in the hillcountry of Peru. Because Fausta's mother lived during this time, it was believed by the people in their village that Fausta was contaminated with the disease "la teta asustada," or "the milk of sorrow." The disease affected those who were nursed by women affected by the horrific events during that often-forgotten time in Peruvian history.While Fausta's believed diagnosis of "la teta asustada" is the cause for a lot discrimination against her, we also see the difference in rich and poor culture when she begins working for wealthy family in the city. Her relationship with the woman for whom she is working is strained and often times uncomfortable, but she finds solace in her relationship with the gardener. A speaker of her native Quechua, the gardener provides a needed sense of home in the bigger city, where she feels very out of place and at many times antagonized. This feeling ultimately culminates in Fausta's boss letting her go on the side of street after they attended a show in Lima where the woman performed one of Fausta's songs. We ultimately see many intersections of culture in Fausta throughout the movie. Almost all of which resulting in some form of criticism or hardship. This aggregation of misjustice is accentuated by the melancholy tone of the film, as well as the overall theme presented.

THE MILK OF SORROW (dir. Claudia Llosa) The central conceit or literary metaphor of this mesmerizing film is that mothers who have experienced the horror of rape pass along this trauma to their daughters through breast feeding. Fausta is a Peruvian peasant who has been deeply affected by this abnormal syndrome, and when her mother dies, the film documents Fausta's journey to bury her mother, and then confront and heal the psychological damage done to her by her mother's tragic past. The film has the tone of a hypnotic yet horrifying folk tale that explores the pagan or atavistic undercurrents within lower-class Peruvian society. Nominated for numerous international awards. MUST SEE.

This movie had a truly original plot that at times felt a little unbelievable. The characters themselves were believable and an interesting twist was that half of the movie was in a local dialect rather than Spanish. The protagonist, Fausta, believes that she is condemned to a life of fear because her mother was raped while she was pregnant with her. This fear was transferred to her from her mother's 'teta asustada' according to Peruvian superstition. Some parts of the movie, like her mother's burial, are drawn out for longer than they should and do not add to the storyline. The songs that Fausta sings are a nice addition to the soundtrack and add an interesting subplot. It is a movie that I am glad that I watched but I don't think I'll watch it again.

Claudia Llosa's drama The Milk Of Sorrow is an award winning film that has toured the festival circuit and was also Peru's entry for the 2010 Foreign Language Oscar. The central character here is Fausta (played by Magaly Solier), who has grown up hearing her mother's horror stories about rape and the atrocities committed curing the violent 1980's in her native Peru. Traumatised and sexually repressed, she plants a potato in her vagina, which is meant to ward off potential rapists. Fausta has been suckled on "the milk of sorrow", which basically means that the horrors endured by her mother whilst Fausta was in the womb have been transmitted on to her through breast milk. When her mother dies, Fausta has to try and raise some money in order to transport the body back to her home village and pay for the funeral. She lands a job as a maid to the imperious and emotionally stolid Mrs Aida (Susi Sanchez), a singer preparing for a concert. The dark and eerie home on the outskirts of the city is symbolic of Mrs Aida's own sterile and empty life. When the woman hears the shy Fausta sing, she offers her pearls from one of her necklaces in exchange for the occasional song. Fausta also strikes up a friendship with the gardener Noe (Efrain Solis), who shares his passion for flowers with her. The garden is a metaphor for growth and freedom, and becomes hugely symbolic as Fausta slowly begins to reconnect with the world and discovers that even the most withdrawn and traumatised of women can flourish. The Milk Of Sorrow is the second film from director Llosa, and she handles the material with restraint. Llosa draws a strong and surprising contrast between the humour and beauty of life in the slums and the fear and isolation that permeate life in the city. The film also offers some insights into the culture, traditions and superstitions of village life in contemporary Peru. Peru's recent history of violence, particularly under the Shining Path, and war inform this contemporary drama, and the events of the past cast a muted shadow over the events. Even though these horrors are a distant memory for most they still resonate strongly for many of the characters here. Solier, who also appeared in the director's first film Madeinusa, gives an understated performance as Fausta. Natasha Baiers' cinematography is beautiful, and Selma Mutais' haunting music score enriches the film. However, the film is languidly paced, and its slow pace means that many in the audience will fail to connect emotionally with Fausta's journey. It is easy for audiences to somehow remain detached from the whole thing.