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) | |
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Anastasiya Bedredinova | ... | Neighbor (as Anastasia Bedredinova) |
Tõnu Kark | ... | Sergei | |
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Nikolai Bentsler | ... | Natasha's Boyfriend (as Nikolaj Bentsler) |
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Aleksander Dorosjkevitch | ... | Friend #1 (as Aleksandr Dorosjkevitj) |
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Yevgeni Gurov | ... | Friend #2 (as Jevgenij Gurov) |
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Aleksandr Sokolenko | ... | Friend #3 |
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Margo Kostelina | ... | Cashier #1 |
Veronika Kovtun | ... | Cashier #2 |
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. Written by Cinema_Fan
I do have to admit that I'm not an "art-type" movies or classic movies fan (i.e. Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, etc...); maybe that's why I managed to see Lilja 4 ever later than expected - to be precise last night...
What can I say? The movie impressed me so much that I saw it again trying to tune myself in order to observe each little detail that might escaped me during first view. Everything in this movie is so great and well done that after second view I gave it 10 out of 10... a grade that I gave only to another movie (The Godfather I). Oksana did a demonstration of art in playing Lilja proving that she easily can beat great names as Nicole Kidman or Julia Roberts that are earning million times more and acting million times worst. Her note 10/10... sorry, 20/10.
If I would compare Kill Bill vol. 1 with Lilja (as I seen Kill Bill got so high grades) I would give to Kill Bill 1,5 and to Lilja 10.
Again, Europe beats the hell out of US, showing that the real art of cinema has nothing to do with having hundred of millions of $ budget and millions of special effects.