Lilja 4-ever (2002)

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 | Friendship | Communism

Awards:

12 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Oksana Akinshina	...	Lilja (as Oksana Akinsjina)
Artyom Bogucharsky	...	Volodya (as Artiom Bogutjarskij)
Lyubov Agapova	...	Lilja's Mother (as Ljubov Agapova)
Liliya Shinkaryova	...	Aunt Anna (as Lilija Sjinkarjova)
Elina Benenson	...	Natasha
Pavel Ponomaryov	...	Andrei (as Pavel Ponomarjov)
Tomasz Neuman	...	Witek (as Tomas Neumann)
Anastasiya Bedredinova	...	Neighbor (as Anastasia Bedredinova)
Tõnu Kark	...	Sergei
Nikolai Bentsler	...	Natasha's Boyfriend (as Nikolaj Bentsler)
Aleksander Dorosjkevitch	...	Friend #1 (as Aleksandr Dorosjkevitj)
Yevgeni Gurov	...	Friend #2 (as Jevgeni Gurov)
Aleksandr Sokolenko	...	Friend #3
Margo Kostelina	...	Cashier #1
Veronika Kovtun	...	Cashier #2
Jelena Jakovlena	...	Teacher (as Jelena Jakovleva)
Tamara Solodnikova	...	Social Worker
Nikolai Kutt	...	Man on the bridge (as Nikolai Kütt)
Oleg Rogatchov	...	Natasha's dad (as Oleg Rogatjov)
Aleksander Okunev	...	Volodya's dad (as Aleksandr Okunev)
Herardo Contreras	...	Anna's neighbour (as Herardo Kontreras)
Madis Kalmet	...	Man in hotel room
Bo Christer Hjelte	...	Lonely man
Sten Erici	...	BMW-man
Hermie Acereda	...	Man in Sweden #1
Gert Bondesson	...	Man in Sweden #2
Anders Brinning	...	Man in Sweden #3
Johan Edlund	...	Man in Sweden #4
Henryk Gwiazada	...	Man in Sweden #5
Rickard Mattila	...	Man in Sweden #6
Michael Merikan	...	Man in Sweden #7
Jeff Norman	...	Man in Sweden #8
Truls Rosén	...	Man in Sweden #9
Jacob Ryer	...	Man in Sweden #10
Farhad Sina	...	Man in Sweden #11
Johan Åkerblom	...	Man in Sweden #12
Jaanika	...	Go Go-dancer #1
Olga	...	Go Go-dancer #2
Otto Andersson
Virko Annus
Ljljana Culev		(as Ljiljana Culev)
Lidija Cvitanovic
Maria Karlsson Thörnqvist		(as Maria Karlsson)
Kajsa Lundberg
Lars-Gunnar Mostrom		(as Lars-Gunnar Moström)
Rein Nettan
Åsa Olsson
Jay B. Yarnel		(as Jay Yarnel)

Directed by
Lukas Moodysson

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Lukas Moodysson		writer

Produced by
Gunnar Carlsson	....	co-producer
Tomas Eskilsson	....	co-producer
Malte Forsell	....	line producer
Peter Aalbæk Jensen	....	co-producer
Lars Jönsson	....	producer
Peeter Urbla	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Nathan Larson

Cinematography by
Ulf Brantås

Film Editing by
Michal Leszczylowski
Oleg Morgunov
Bernhard Winkler

Casting by
Jesper Kurlandsky

Art Direction by
Josefin Åsberg

Costume Design by
Denise Östholm

Makeup Department
Jessica Cederholm	....	makeup designer
Kristina Olsson	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Malini Ahlberg	....	production manager (as Anna Malini Ahlberg)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alexandra Dahlström	....	assistant director
Malin Fornander	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Pille-Maris Arro	....	property master
Mikael Back	....	carpenter
Li Garpenfeldt	....	props
Rickard Grönvall	....	painter
Lars Ingvarsson	....	set dresser
Martin Jacobsson	....	painter
Sofie Kinngard	....	painter
Peter Vålming	....	carpenter
Frank Zandhoff	....	carpenter

Sound Department
Henrik Lövgren	....	boom operator
Niclas Merits	....	sound
Hans Møller	....	sound mixer
Gadou Naudin	....	foley artist
Peter Schultz	....	sound
Per Streit	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Göran Lundström	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Andreas Hylander	....	visual effects

Stunts
Pernilla Andersson	....	stunts
Lars Hjelm	....	stunts
Kimmo Rajala	....	stunt coordinator
Emma Samuelsson	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Jonas Alarik	....	first assistant camera
Trolle Davidson	....	first assistant camera
Emil Hall	....	grip
Per-Anders Jörgensen	....	still photographer
Nils Lindberg	....	lighting technician
Filip Tydén	....	second assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marit Ahven	....	assistant costumer
Aida Stålnacke	....	assistant costumer

Editorial Department
Kjell Amrén	....	scanner
Christer Eidhagen	....	telecine operator
Stefan Eriksson	....	negative cutter
Susanne Lund	....	negative cutter
Andreas Nilsson	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Rasmus Thord	....	music coordinator

Other crew
Andres Arro	....	production coordinator
Gun Åsander	....	production accountant
Stina Berggren	....	production coordinator
Nils Bindslev	....	production assistant
Malin Fornander	....	script supervisor
Lena Hansson	....	film consultant: Swedish Film Institute (as Lena Hansson-Varhegyi)
Pia Janols	....	production accountant
Anna Knochenhauer	....	assistant to producer
Kristi-Karita Levoll	....	assistant location manager
Hans Lönnerheden	....	completion bond
Ingrid Nõmmik	....	production secretary
Jonas Overton	....	location manager
Anne-Helene Sommarström	....	unit publicist
Karl Strandlind	....	assistant location manager
Rasmus Thord	....	production coordinator

Production Companies

• Memfis Film
• Det Danske Filminstitut
• Film i Väst
• Nordisk Film- & TV-Fond
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI)
• Sveriges Television (SVT) (SVT Göteborg)
• Zentropa Entertainments

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Arsenal (2003) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2005) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Imovision (2004) (Brazil) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (2002) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• SPI International (2004) (Poland) (theatrical)
• Sonet Film (2002) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (video)
• Bir Film (Turkey)
• California Filmes (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Haut et Court (France)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Newmarket Films (2003) (USA) (subtitled)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2002) (Finland) (all media)
• Sunfilm Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Trust Film Sales
• Versus Entertainment (2007) (Spain) (all media)
• YLE Teema (2007) (Finland) (TV)

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 assistant director, Alexandra Dahlström, can be seen on a balcony when Lilja is writing "Lilja 4-ever" on the bench.

Quotes:

Teacher: A golden future awaits you. Just kidding.

Movie Connections:

References Psycho (1960)

Soundtrack:

Bomba

Realistic To The Core

The movie is extremely sad & hard to watch, cause of its unbelievably realistic picture of poverty, humiliation & depression in which the vast majority of people in the former USSR republics live, including here in Russia. The minority of those who have still managed to keep being human beings in this mess is surrounded & slowly devastated by demoralised animals, created by the decades of communist reign. The realism of the picture is overwhelming & scary. It is so unexpected that a Swedish director have managed to see all the sadness, corruption, violence & immorality of post-USSR space much more clearly than any Russian director ever will. Probably, it is because most people here in Russia see the hell which is going on around them as a normal thing. That's why we need movies such as this - to face the truth, we are so trying to escape in everyday life. Plus, the film exposes the problem of human traffic in such true-to-life manner, it is painful. Worth watching for former USSR citizens, in order to wake-up & realize how degenerate they're becoming. Worth watching for foreigners in order to understand how the 99% of people in Russia & other post-soviet countries live, outside the glamorous & fake facades of Moscow city.