I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Lilya 4-Ever is the kind of movie that you'll watch, acknowledge is good, and then probably never want to watch ever again. The directing and writing and acting are all quite good, but it is simply a brutal movie to watch. The story centers around Lilya, a young girl living in an unspecified part of the former Soviet Union, and how she tries to survive after her mother abandons her by moving to America. That's the very start of the movie, and trust us, it doesn't get any more uplifting from there. Even the brief moments of lightness are dampened somewhat by knowing that this is just the eye of the storm and that things are about to get real bad again, and they do.Would we recommend Lilya 4-Ever? Kind of-- we talk about it on the second episode of our podcast, linked below, going a little more into detail about our hot takes on the movie. You can find it at www.taraandandrewversus.com or in Apple Podcasts/Google Play/wherever by searching for Tara and Andrew Versus The Scarecrow Video Movie Guide. It's a short podcast and we're reasonably entertaining, so as the saying goes, you might be sorry that you listened, but you won't be VERY sorry.

Lilja 4-ever is a hard film to watch because it shows the raw and naked reality of the world. There is no superhero to save you. The viewer is sure that the world is cruel and inhabited by disgusting men and women. It is portrayed as in the conversation between Rocky and his son in the movie Rocky Balboa (2006): "The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life".The writer and director is the Swedish Lukas Moodysson, from F*cking Åmål (Show me Love - 1998) and Tillsammans (Together - 2000). The story chronicles the life of a 16 years old Lilja (Oksana Akinshina), who lives with her mother (Lyubov Agapova) in a poor and dreary suburb somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Lilja is beautiful, rebellious, unexpectedly devout, kneeling always before her favorite photo of an angel with a child, and above all, she is naive. She and her mother would emigrate to the United States with her mother's new husband, but her dreams of a better life crumbles when she finds out that she will be left behind, under the guardianship of her aunt (Lilija Sjinkarjova), to eventually join them later. As the time passes by and she doesn't receive letters or money, there is a feeling that she was abandoned. With no help from her aunt, she is forced to move into a tiny apartment without electricity or heating. Desperate, she receives aid from Volodya (Artyom Bogucharsky), a boy of only 11 years old, her only friend. Disillusioned and broke, the girl meets and falls in love with Andrei (Pavel Ponomarjov), who offers her employment and a chance of a better life in Sweden.The work of the cameras was made in such a way that even not seeing some scenes we feel and suffer all the hardships aside with the protagonist. Using only the suggestion (the implicit feature that was given) the director reached and impacted the viewer more than if he had used explicit images. We identify ourselves in such a way with the central character that we want to warn her of the dangers in every step she takes towards her ruin. Oksana Akinshina, in the leading role, and Artyom Bogucharsky, in the supporting role, give us an interpretation worthy of take the hat off.The soundtrack was chosen to intensify the emotions conveyed in the film. It is responsible for giving voice to the characters at different times, expressing the feelings of joy, disappointment, grief, sadness, emptiness, anger, hatred and despair. The song of the German band Rammstein "Mein Herz Brennt" (My heart burns), which opens and practically closes the film, causes a strong initial impact, but it's heard with other ears and emotions at the end.Apart the denunciation of the tragedy that accompanied the lives of millions of people who have been abandoned to a bitter and inhuman life with the end of socialism and the break up of the USSR, in what children are the most vulnerable victims, there is also a criticism about individualism and loss of social values. The state of men without civil society is nothing else but mere war of all against all...Originally posted in: http://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

I did have a little hitch with the subtitles at first, but as ever, after five minutes I completely forgot about that.A film like this reverberates with an impending sense of doom because you just know what's going to happen to Lilya in the cesspool of life, falling downwards and probably never resurfacing again.Even though you can sense life is going to get progressively worse for Lilya, you're never sure to what extent things will spiral out of control, or if the situation will ever start to get better. What's important is whether or not you care! Fortunately, I cared a lot, probably because I had a heavy crush on Lilya, but there's a bit more to it than that.Lilya just seems to take events on the chin and deal with it in her own way, which is surprising and somewhat inspiring. No hysterics, just an ultimate, immature belief that things are going to improve by taking each little step at a time and making another, probably misinformed, decision.If I was in her situation, would I have reacted in the same way? Would I have had any choice in the matter? These are questions that cannot be answered easily. One minute she's a perfectly normal person, growing up in what seems like a normal family and then, suddenly, she's washed along by the tide of life and its very difficult decision-making process.One of the easiest reviews I've ever written because I feel so clear in my feelings about the film. I liked it a lot and recommend this to adults who like different types of films and aren't too squeamish.

Swedish screenwriter and director Lukas Moodyson's third feature film which he wrote, is loosely based on the life of a 16-year-old Lithuanian girl named Danguole Rasalaite and was shot on location in Malmö and Trollhättan studio in Sweden and Paldinski, a town and Baltic Sea port in north-western Estonia. It was entered into the 59th Venice Film Festival in 2002, was screened in the Visions section at the 27th Toronto International Film Festival in 2002 and is a Sweden-Denmark co-production which was produced by Swedish producer Lars Jönsson. It tells the story about Lilja, a 16-year-old student who lives with her mother in an apartment block in a poor town in the former Soviet Union. All though she is not living a privileged life Lilja is grateful, but her world begins to fall apart the day her mother moves to the United States with her new boyfriend and leaves Lilja behind. Lilja is forced to move in with her aunt who shortly after leaves Lilja so that she can live on her own in Lilja's mother's apartment. Life is not kind to Lilja and after refusing to prostitute herself with one of her friends, the friend ruins her reputation by telling both her father and her schoolmates that Lilja is a prostitute. With nobody to turn to, Lilja takes on the judgment of her community and starts selling herself in order to survive. After earning some money, life looks a little bit brighter for Lilja and she finds a friend in a younger boy named Volodya who lives with an alcoholic and abusive father. Lilja treats Volodya with love and dignity and he becomes very attached to her, but their close friendship is interrupted when Lilja meets Andrei. Lilja and Andrei begins a romantic relationship and when Andrei presents her with a job offer, she travels to Sweden in hope of a better life.Finely and engagingly directed by Swedish filmmaker Lukas Moodyson, this humane and heartrending story which is narrated from the main character's point of view, draws an exceedingly gripping and afflicting portrayal of a betrayed young woman who is struggling to survive in a world that has turned it's back on her, and her tender friendship with a young boy from her neighbourhood. While notable for it's gritty and naturalistic urban milieu depictions and the fine cinematography by Swedish cinematographer Ulf Brantås, this character-driven and incisive psychological drama which examines themes like betrayal, human trafficking, friendship and the loss of innocence, contains an evocative score by American composer Nathan Larson which emphasizes the protagonist's inner states.This finely tuned and compassionately narrated story which depicts a condensed and internal study of character, is impelled and reinforced by it's cogent narrative structure and the exceptional and affective acting performances by Russian actress Oksana Akinshina in her second feature film role and Russian actor Artyom Bogucharsky in his debut feature film role. A memorable and poignant feature film which gained, among several other awards, the Grand Prix Asturias for Best Feature Lukas Moodyson, the Special Prize of the Young Jury for Best Feature Lukas Moodyson and the award for Best Actress Oksana Akinshina at the 40th Gijón International Film Festival in 2002.