Lilya 4-Ever (2002)

Sixteen-year-old Lilja and her only friend, the young boy Volodja, live in Estonia, fantasizing about a better life. One day, Lilja falls in love with Andrej, who is going to Sweden, and invites Lilja to come along and start a new life.

Director:

Lukas Moodysson

Writer:

Lukas Moodysson

Stars:

Oksana Akinshina, Artyom Bogucharskiy, Pavel Ponomaryov

12 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Jevgenij Gurov)
Aleksandr Sokolenko	...	Friend #3
Margo Kostelina	...	Cashier #1
Veronika Kovtun	...	Cashier #2

Storyline

While waiting for her mothers reply to take her to the USA, Lilya idles the time away smoking, drinking and having fun with her, too, outcast friend Volodya. In time, the chance of a new life becomes non-existent; her life is going nowhere. Meeting a young man, she then finds a plane ticket in her hand and a new life in Sweden: a job, an apartment and prospects. All is not what it seems. There shall be work, there shall be housing and there shall be no escape. This is the stark, frank and disturbing vision of the life of a young victim of the underground sex trade and in all its tone of realism of abject poverty, despicable actions and of wanting to show that dreaming of a better life is not a crime but that life can shatter the illusion of a happy ending.

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Plot Keywords:

sex trade | teenage prostitution | human trafficking | sexual abuse | poverty | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

Sweden Denmark

Language:

Russian Swedish English Polish

Release Date:

23 August 2002 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Lilya 4-Ever

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$33,731, 20 April 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$181,655, 26 May 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Memfis Film,Det Danske Filminstitut,Film i Väst

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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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.

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Connections

Referenced in Filmselskabet: Episode #4.1 (2013)

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Soundtracks

"Forever Young (F.A.F. mix)
Written by Marian Gold (as M. Gold), Bernhard Lloyd (as B. Lloyd), Frank Mertens (as F. Mertens)
Performed by Alphaville
With permission from Gazell Music AB/Warner Music Sweden AB

User Reviews

LILJA 4-EVER (DIDIER BECU)

Will Lukas Moodyson be the Andy Warhol of cinematography? It seems like he's on its way to achieve it as film after film Moodyson seems to find a subject that is shocking but stays a part of the society we cann't deny. "Lilja 4-ever" puts us back in some godforgotten village that used to be the powerful USSR. A place at where nothing really happens and where the youth just has to face violence and drugs (cheap medicine like syrup against coughing). Lilja is left alone by her mother who immigrates to the US and how much she defends, Lilja ends up as a childwhore. The movie is hard (the first seconds of the movie with Rammstein's "Mein herz brennt" already is unforgettable) and Moodyson does nothing special to shock his audience...the facts are just there and you can do with it what you want. A masterpiece.