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)
Лиля навсегда (Russia) [ru]
Daima lilya (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Lilja 4-ever (Finland) [fi]
Lilja 4-ever (Poland) [pl]
Lilja gia panta (Greece) [el]
Lilya 4-ever (France) [fr]
Lilya Forever (Spain) [es]
Lilya Para Sempre (Portugal) [pt]
Para Sempre Lilya (Brazil) [pt]

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:

The town in which Lilja lives, is in real life called Paldiski and is located in Estonia, not far from the capital Tallinn. The submarine base has now been destroyed.

Quotes:

Lilja: That's stupid. I'm not going to die. I'm going to America.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 2004 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Tayu

A sad familiar story

During this movie I felt more and more sorry for Lilja (Oksana Akinshina), a girl from the former Soviet Union. As the viewer you know what will happen with the poor girl because it seems so logical, but from her point of view it is just a great opportunity that turns out to be something completely different. First her mother leaves her to go to America with a new husband. Lilja thinks she will travel after her mother some time later, but that is not going to happen. Her only friend is Volodya (Artyom Bogucharsky), a young boy she hangs out with.

Then she meets a boy who says he likes her. He invites her to come to Sweden with him, start a life together. She has to go first, he will travel after her, again, some time later. Volodya does not agree with it, but she goes anyway. Arriving in Sweden she is picked up by an older man, put in an apartment locked from the outside, and we understand that the boy will not travel after her. The next day the man brings Lilja another man; she must have sex with him. Finally it is clear for her, sort of, as it was for us all along.

I guess there are thousands and thousands of stories like this and realizing that Lilja's story is even more sad. The way certain people use unhappiness of others is terrible and 'Lilja 4-ever' shows us in a realistic way how easy it basically is. If you are as unhappy as Lilja every opportunity seems fantastic.

There are two scenes that you will remember. The first shows us Lilja's face when the men are on top of her. She just lies there, helpless, without any reason to live. The second shows us the faces of the men that are on top of her. This montage lets us see the ugliness of those people, what kind of animals the world knows. 'Lilja 4-ever' is a sad movie, but a good movie. Although we probably know that things like this happen, it is not bad to realize that from time to time. 'Fucking Åmål' director Lukas Moodysson makes sure we do that with his movie.