Dir. Patricia Wiesse / Perú / 2020 / 82’

This documentary follows Magda and her friends, a group of Quechua-speaking women engaged in a judicial process against the soldiers that abused them decades ago. The Peruvian military, supposedly sent to protect the population from the guerrilla group Sendero Luminoso country-wide, committed more crimes than the Maoist group. On top of that, women should fight the stigma of being rejected and labelled ‘soldier’s wives’ by their own communities.

SCREENING IN EDINBURGH:
Where: CAMEO CINEMA (38 Home St, Edinburgh EH3 9LZ)
When: Friday 2nd Jun 2023,

Magda Surichaqui Cóndor, Santosa Rosalía Contreras Quintín, Magna Gonzáles Araujo, Virginia Gonzáles Araujo.

Using observational techniques to bring about the collective testimonial of the victims and recordings of the oral trial to present the perpetrators’ voices, Wiesse is able to tell this story of abuse in a non-exploitative way that restores the women’s dignity and supports their ongoing legal case.

Trailer:

In 1984, Magda Surichaqui Cóndor is participating in a lawsuit that she and other women have filed against their former assailants so they can regain something of their dignity. Three friends who have been through the same experience visit Magda to lend their support. As they peel potatoes together, they recall the traumatic events they had to keep to themselves for so long. One of the friends admits that she feels a sense of rejection towards her two sons conceived by rape: “I look at them in anger and think they’ll grow like them, that they’ll also rape.” This empathetic documentary finally gives the women the attention and respect which they have been denied for so long.

Soldier’s Woman official poster.