In the wake of the Shining Path terrorist attacks in Peru, a young woman, her estranged mother and their orphaned live-in nanny confront the haunting legacy of war, unraveling the complex ties of motherhood, trauma and identity.

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“Mother Tongue” is a feature film about intergenerational trauma shaped by political violence, domestic labor, and the ethics of representation. It is based on the woman that raised me and the mother-daughter connection we developed after my parents took her in following the assassination of hers during the Peruvian Internal Armed Conflict.