Lilja 4-ever (2002)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Lukas Moodysson

Writer:

Lukas Moodysson (writer)

Release Date:

23 August 2002 (Sweden)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

Lilja is 16 years old. Her only friend is the young boy Volodja. They live in Estonia, fantasizing about a better life. One day, Lilja falls in love with Andrej. He is going to Sweden, and invites Lilja to come along and start a new life.

Plot Keywords:

Sweden | Friend | Prostitute | Grocery Store | Tragedy

Awards:

12 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Oksana Akinshina	...	Lilja
Artyom Bogucharsky	...	Volodya
Lyubov Agapova	...	Lilja's Mother
Liliya Shinkaryova	...	Aunt Anna
Elina Benenson	...	Natasha
Pavel Ponomaryov	...	Andrei
Tomasz Neuman	...	Witek (as Tomas Neumann)
Anastasiya Bedredinova	...	Neighbor
Tõnu Kark	...	Sergei
Nikolai Bentsler	...	Natasha's Boyfriend
Aleksander Dorosjkevitch	...	Friend #1
Yevgeni Gurov	...	Friend #2 (as Jevgeni Gurov)
Aleksandr Sokolenko	...	Friend #3
Margo Kostelina	...	Cashier #1
Veronika Kovtun	...	Cashier #2

Also Known As:

Lilya 4-Ever (UK) (USA)
Lilja 4ever (Sweden) (alternative spelling)
Lilya 4-ever (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content, a rape scene, drug use and language.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

Sweden | Denmark

Language:

Russian | Swedish | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Portugal:M/16 | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Hungary:16 | Spain:18 | Australia:MA | Canada:18A | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:III | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Film i Väst, Nohab Industrial Estate, Trollhättan, Västra Götalands län, Sweden

Company:

Memfis Film

Trivia:

Based primarily on the real life of Dangoule Rasalaite, who ended up in Sweden after her mother took off and went to America. The film follows the events of Dangoule's life pretty closely, with the main exception of the boy Volodja who is entirely fictional.

Quotes:

Lilja: Doesn't matter. I'm off to America.

Movie Connections:

References Tillsammans (2000)

Soundtrack:

All Övrig Musik

It is a lot more than a film concerning human traffic

I like films that make one think. They don't answer one's questions, but rather help one find the answers for oneself. Such films are so valuable because they explore the human mind and personality. Everyone has been involved in situations when one needs to know what the person in front of him or her is thinking. Lilja 4-ever is a film that leads us in the dark world of a beautiful girl who has not yet grown enough to face the hardships of life, let alone the hardships of life in a place like that she lives in. Although the film is much acclaimed because it raises the problem of human traffic, it achieves much more than that. It raises the problems of human selfishness, betrayal, dignity, hopelessness, lie. It explores love and friendship. It conveys a simple but incredibly important message - we are those who are responsible.

What fascinates me about European cinema is that it explores in great depth the human personality. Lilja 4-ever employs an ordinary script and is directed in a way that ,at the time of watching, one does not, at all, think about the director's work. Thus, one can concentrate entirely on the plot, on the development of the characters and their stories. For that, I congratulate Lukas Moodysson.

Critics acclaim the film because it concerns the problem of human traffic. However, much of the film focuses on Lilja's life before she is forced into prostitution. During that time, Moodysson carefully explains why many people end up leading such terrible lives. She is an innocent girl who knows almost nothing about life. In an unbelievably short period of time she is abandoned by her mother, thrown out by her aunt, betrayed by her friends, cynically humiliated by her teacher. The only hope she has is her dream that one day she would be able to go to a beautiful country where she would meet hospitable people and have many opportunities. She is striving for happiness and tries to find it anywhere she can. Unfortunately, the only people who offer their help are little Volodja and a deceitful man. Volodja is the little boy who finds the angel inside Lilja. Ironically, the only person who truly likes and wants to help her is incapable of doing so. His life is as miserable as hers.

Lilja is abandoned, left to starve, raped, forced into prostitution, and yet not one of these moments disturbed me as much as the smile on her face when she is lied by a person in whom she sees hope and salvation. In my opinion, that is the single strongest and most substantial moment in the whole film.

Lilja 4-ever is a masterpiece in its own way. It changes perspectives ... It manages to explain how innocent and pure a prostitute's mind can be. How many of us relate words such as pure and innocent to prostitution? It urges us to be concerned, to feel responsible, and to believe in the importance of GOOD ...