Lilya 4-Ever (2002) Lilja 4-ever (original title)

Director:

Lukas Moodysson

Writer:

Lukas Moodysson

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 | Poverty | Sex | Prostitute

Awards:

12 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Oksana Akinshina	...	Lilja (as Oksana Akinsjina)
Artyom Bogucharskiy	...	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

Produced by
Gunnar Carlsson	....	co-producer
Tomas Eskilsson	....	co-producer
Malte Forssell	....	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
Sofie Kinngard	....	painter
Martin Liljegren	....	painter (as Martin Jacobsson)
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
James C. Norman	....	teaser colorist

Music Department
Rasmus Thord	....	music coordinator

Other crew
Andres Arro	....	production coordinator
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
Gun Åsander	....	production accountant

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)

Other Companies

• Film Finances  completion guarantor

Also Known As:

"Lilja 4-ever" - Sweden (original title)
"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:

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

Quotes:

Volodja:[Lilja is about to commit suicide] But it's the only one you've got. This life is the only one you've got.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Piece of My Heart

Human Betrayed and Sold

This is about the buying and selling of human beings. Lilja is in a hopeless situation, she is betrayed and then sold. The men who sell and buy her are not concerned with who she is, or why she is there. They don't want to know. They do their business and don't ask questions.

There is not much doubt this could be a true story. Moodysson wrote the script after reading about a young girl, an eastern European refugee, under strange circumstances throwing herself off a bridge in Malmö. "Sex slavery", trafficking, is out of sight, out of mind for most of us, but is still very much in effect. And most of the people on the planet live very hard lives.

The buying and selling of people is something that we all live with. We all sell ourselves to anonymous corporations, we have to do it, it is in the fabric of our societies. Liljas sale is on another scale of exploitation, of course, but it is also an extreme of what capitalism effectively means. Everything is a commodity.

The movie tells the story of of a young girls destruction by brutal socioeconomic and individual forces, both objectively and subjectively. While there is no big drama, the story is told from the perspective of Lilja. There are a few weaknesses, the portrayal of Lilja starts with things going bad, and then they turn even worse. We don't get to know Lilja outside of hardships, which probably enables us to differentiate ourselves from her. Also its a bit over-explicit in the depiction of the adult betrayal of Lilja. What if, for example, Liljas mother hadn't disappeared, the way she does in the movie, would that make the story much less tragic?

Otherwise, its a film that people "should see", there should be a 100 of these kind of movies made for every new, strained, meaningless, "J.Lo is pretty and wants romance" or "Arnie is strong, rightfully angry and wants to kill somebody", film. Instead of the other way around, the way it is today.