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Lilya 4-Ever
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Lilya 4-Ever

2002
Drama
Crime
1h 49m
Lilja is 16 years old. Her only friend is the young boy Volodja. They live in a poor village 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. (imdb)
Directed by:
Lukas Moodysson Lukas Moodysson
Written by:
Lukas Moodysson Lukas Moodysson
Starring:
Oksana Akinshina Oksana Akinshina Artyom Bogucharsky Lyubov Agapova Liliya Shinkaryova Elina Benenson Pavel Ponomaryov Tomasz Neuman Anastasiya Bedredinova
More
Genres:
Drama, Crime
AKAs:
Lilja 4-ever, Lilya 4 Ever
Countries:
Denmark, Sweden
Languages:
English, Swedish, Polish, Russian
imdb More information at IMDb
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Lilya 4-Ever

2002
Drama
Crime
1h 49m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 68.02% from 1723 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

(1723)
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aflickeringAFlickering
Rated 22 Sep 2021
4
55th
"a golden future awaits you. just kidding." depressing poverty dramas with on-the-nose catholic imagery would typically get a hard no from me, but this one's shot and acted so well that it completely inhabits lilya and creates a kind of insular GUMMO-lite glue-sniffing dreaming-from-the-gutter reality that allows the emotional gut-punches to strike more delicately and poetically than they have any right to.
Rated 22 Sep 2021
bitch_alertBitch Alert
Rated 29 Aug 2008
60
50th
Throws too much shit on the main character to maintain its believability, thus reversing the desired effect. Nice cinematography and use of music, though - especially all the cheesy pop tunes from the late 90's. And Akinshina is good.
Rated 29 Aug 2008
moribunnyMoribunny
Rated 22 Apr 2018
70
75th
Down-to-earth and very moving. Lukas Moodysson has a bit too much sweetness to fully get into bleak social realism. It's especially obvious since he's playing in the ballpark of heavy-hitters like "Christiane F." and "Intergirl", that tell similar stories more elaborately and without resorting to angel-wing kitsch. For the relative simplicity, I still think he makes an excellent effort during most of the running time, and Akinshina makes it happen for him with her huggable performance as Lilya.
Rated 22 Apr 2018
lennyneroLennyNero
Rated 05 Aug 2011
65
50th
It looks very realistic and the actors are totally convincing but the "dream sequences" are terrible and really devalue the rest of the movie.
Rated 05 Aug 2011
rufamRufam
Rated 20 Jan 2012
75
72nd
A powerful, unflinching depiction of poverty and prostitution. Akinshina delivers a strong performance and Moodysson's naturalistic style fits the material perfectly. Although, for me, it lacks the emotional gut punch that would have made it excellent and some of the religious stuff is vexing, this is still a very forceful picture.
Rated 20 Jan 2012
teftef
Rated 14 Jun 2009
50
8th
Depressing without being interesting.
Rated 14 Jun 2009
pigletPiglet
Rated 26 Jul 2009
80
91st
A very sad/tragic story about shattered dreams and the fate of the young girls who are the victims of trafficking.
Rated 26 Jul 2009
harmonicaHarmonica
Rated 14 Aug 2007
8
0th
Despite strong lead acting in the titular role, and some competent direction, this swedish melodrama from Lukas Moodysson serves only to ultimately depress the viewer with a series of predictable plot turns, all exercised with little narrative justification except supposedly to 'shock', which it only manages via technical shortcomings.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
scurryscurry
Rated 22 Jan 2008
40
33rd
We get it, life's miserable for the unfortunate. But why make a film about a Russian prostitute instead of a Swedish one? Is it because Russians fit the stereotype of gangsters and prostitutes? I'm not going to say that is the case with Lilya 4-Ever, but I am going to say that it does nothing to question it. It is essentially reactionary, albeit not entirely without merit. Still, a dangerous film.
Rated 22 Jan 2008
bownBown
Rated 08 Aug 2009
87
84th
Heartbreaking. Just keeps on kicking you and kicking you. May be predictable, but I think that helps us as we watch Lilya fall into trap after trap and can't stop her.
Rated 08 Aug 2009
judo_koalaJudo Koala
Rated 29 Nov 2012
75
53rd
An unflinching look at the issues of sex trafficking in the European Union and the commodification of female migrants, through a form of social realism which evokes that of the Dardenne Brothers. It's too bad the film's brutal representation of this is marred by some awfully contrived dream/fantasy sequences and poor soundtrack choices during the opening/closing sequences.
Rated 29 Nov 2012
djrossdjross
Rated 20 Mar 2013
50
44th
Seemed to me that the director had been watching TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME.
Rated 20 Mar 2013
ddrudgesd_drudges
Rated 19 Aug 2019
60
69th
Bleak, almost to a fault, but apparently based on a true story. Cynical manipulation and exploitation of people looking for a change is unfortunately still a thing and not going away anytime soon.
Rated 19 Aug 2019
yilbyilb
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
79th
Will make yer girlfriend cry. Not as crushingly depressing as some others of this type. Harder to believe i suppose. & she's 16, not 13. At least that's what my subs said.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
realmacgyverRealMacgyver
Rated 31 Dec 2008
80
79th
An unrelenting Russian film that's got some very good performances, especially from it's lead. I've been impressed with what I've seen of Russian cinema lately. Don't let subtitles put you off, cause if you do your missing some good stuff
Rated 31 Dec 2008
lofisofilofisofi
Rated 24 Dec 2023
48
44th
part of a string of films which exploitatively stylise poverty, full of unnecessary scenes, a disservice to the real story of the girl that the film was inspired by. the beginning of Moodysson's flop era
Rated 24 Dec 2023
caimancaiman
Rated 02 Jan 2013
89
89th
What a sad, bleak movie. As the downward spiral of the story progressed, I occasionally thought it was too over-the-top. But when you consider this kind of stuff happens all the time in real life, those criticisms vanish. As sad as Lilya's story is, it's the little boy that I found the most heartbreaking. This is a movie that needs more attention and admiration, despite being almost unbearably sad.
Rated 02 Jan 2013
jarmannJarmann
Rated 09 Mar 2008
80
69th
Tore my heart out.
Rated 09 Mar 2008
vandelay1Vandelay1
Rated 24 Jun 2008
96
99th
Very Great
Rated 24 Jun 2008
xacviantxacviant
Rated 15 Sep 2011
79
48th
An unhappy Russian girl moves to Sweden, where the job she was promised turns out to be a lie, and she is forced into sex trafficking. And the young boy who was her only true friend ODs after she leaves. Sunny stuff. It's not bad, though; Oksana Akinshina is quite good as the tragic Lilya, and Artyom Bogucharsky quite likable as her tragic friend. Moodysson's direction is solid, imbuing the film with an effective air of helplessness. It's just not quite incisive enough to be really memorable.
Rated 15 Sep 2011
td888td888
Rated 22 Jul 2007
90
95th
Gripping story about a girl in search of a better future. She gets lost in world of promises, bad intentions and shady people. It shows a grim facet of a society of people struggling to survive.
Rated 22 Jul 2007
shosannaShosanna
Rated 05 Mar 2013
40
70th
Obviously it's a depressing watch, but Moodysson earns my respect for keeping the story about Lilja all the way through and not slipping into exploitative voyeurism. The film feels like a genuinely compassionate portrayal of a sensitive subject matter and offers no fodder for people who love to get into dick-measuring competitions over who's sat through the longest, most brutal rape scene in a film. (4/5)
Rated 05 Mar 2013
maartenmaarten
Rated 23 Dec 2008
89
98th
Heartbreakingly beautiful film with great actor performances and excellent director's choices. The last scene, ft Rammstein music, gets me to my knees every time, as almost only the Paths of Glory final scene has done that to me, so far...
Rated 23 Dec 2008
cinemahellcinema_hell
Rated 29 Apr 2008
30
2nd
Are you kidding me?!
Rated 29 Apr 2008
glumpy99glumpy_99
Rated 21 Aug 2022
86
76th
Gut wrenching portrait of bleak and hopeless poverty would have copped close to a perfect score without the unecessary segues into magical realism; while the ultimate resolution admirably pulls no punches, the attempt of at least marginally sugar coating the finale somewhat undermines the effect, and does no service to Akinshina's quite extraordinary and hypnotic performance; excellent work by Bogucharskiy is also a definite asset. Minor flaws aside, a powerful and impressive piece of work.
Rated 21 Aug 2022
peaceanarchyPeaceAnarchy
Rated 03 Sep 2010
89
92nd
Depressing and bleak, but somehow not particularly hard to watch. While it lacks a little bit in depth it makes up for it with a harsh style that contrasts squalor with glitz.
Rated 03 Sep 2010
igormacheteigormachete
Rated 19 Dec 2018
60
20th
Amateurish and exaggerated, but it has managed to squeeze emotions out of me – the story is just too gut-wrenching. These types of movies make you appreciate your life more
Rated 19 Dec 2018
vendettaVendetta
Rated 14 Aug 2007
91
85th
Mein herz brennt ..
Rated 14 Aug 2007
mayaMaya
Rated 12 Apr 2008
95
98th
A gripping true movie about sexual slavery and the wrong choices in life. See it!
Rated 12 Apr 2008
fragolafragola
Rated 13 Jul 2011
88
31st
Good
Rated 13 Jul 2011
karbonaichKarbonaich
Rated 11 Apr 2020
85
73rd
w/ Melisa
Rated 11 Apr 2020
redactedredacted
Rated 16 Feb 2014
63
34th
This is bleak. Not regular bleak, this is grey, poverty stricken, almost Come and See, hopeless, dilapidated bleak. Some of the cinematography was rough but after enough of those Estonian settings a liquor store did seem glamorous. Unending horror for the lead & despite the broad brush strokes you can see more than one life being led out that way. Going to watch the opening sequence of The Great Beauty again to delude myself off to somewhere equally as doomed but at the very least attractive.
Rated 16 Feb 2014
gokcanzgokcanz
Rated 07 Jan 2015
78
79th
* Casting, Acting : 8.5 * Script : 7.5 * Directing, Aura : 7.5 * Ease of Viewing : 8 * Naked Eye : 7.5
Rated 07 Jan 2015
ferstardustferstardust
Rated 04 Nov 2013
90
81st
Life is awful.
Rated 04 Nov 2013
riquemiurariquemiura
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
95th
Abertura ao som da banda alemã Rammstein apoiando a atuação desesperadora de Oksana, em um filme em que faz uma denúncia - mas não apenas isso - das reais condições que o ser humano se coloca para concretizar de ilusões e sonhos utópicos.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
greygwardargreygwardar
Rated 18 Apr 2024
90
87th
timelesstimeless
Rated 02 Mar 2018
65
23rd
I love me a good tragic story but depressing movies are not my thing.
Rated 02 Mar 2018
chiefgchiefg
Rated 11 Mar 2010
60
38th
Despite the repeated efforts to shock and depress the viewer, I found Lilya 4-ever to be astonishingly unengaging. It's ultimately a pointless exercise in "how much shit can one throw at a character" without ever delving into any sort of deeper narrative.
Rated 11 Mar 2010
francogonzoFrancoGonzo
Rated 21 Feb 2016
16
88th
Star Rating: ★★★★1/2
Rated 21 Feb 2016
woodendoorswoodendoors
Rated 27 May 2021
0
0th
Unnecessarily bad. Maybe good as a comedy, i dunno
Rated 27 May 2021
metismetis
Rated 06 Aug 2021
75
59th
8?Colin /??…/???????
Rated 06 Aug 2021
iyisinekiyisinek
Rated 16 Sep 2011
74
62nd
beyaz kadin ticareti, orospu, genc kiz, terk eden anne, tecavüz (annesi amerikaya gidince rusya'da bir basina kalan bir genc kizin ayakta durma mücadelesini anlatiyor. kiz hayat kadini olacak, daha sonra güvendigi genc onu isvec'e yollayacak. orada bir cetenin eline düsen kiz. hayatini bir fahise olarak sürdürecek. finalde kiz intehar eder. bu arada ona arkadaslik eden volodjo'da kizin isvec'e gitmesiyle intehar eder. biraz agir ama fena degil.) dram.
Rated 16 Sep 2011
albrownealbrowne
Rated 05 Jul 2009
90
85th
Dark
Rated 05 Jul 2009
maggiethecatmaggiethecat
Rated 14 Aug 2007
96
86th
Pretty stunning.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
kasperlKasperL
Rated 14 Jan 2009
80
86th
Shocking and a real downer. I understand the reasoning behind introducing the fantastical element - but I think it's a shame. Leaving that stuff out would have made Moodysson's powerful film completely uncompromising albeit almost unbearably grim. I will never forget the protoganist sprinting to the tunes of Rammstein's 'Mein Herz Brennt'.
Rated 14 Jan 2009
morrisseyfanMorrisseyfan
Rated 01 Feb 2012
90
89th
A heartbreaking tragedy on an international scale. This masterpiece by Moodysson is as poignant as it is often difficult to watch. The issues and themes addressed in the film may not be for all audiences but the realities that it depicts should be confronted and this film gives us a fantastic way to confront issues of innocence and exploitation.
Rated 01 Feb 2012
thoraxothoraxo
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
96th
Fantastic and depressing film about a girl from Russia and her dismal life.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
judge_holdenJudge Holden
Rated 26 Dec 2011
5
69th
It paints a portrait of poverty that is depressing but never quite moving. Similar in some ways to Mouchette, but lacking the restraint and technical skill that tempered some of the melodrama on display there. Moodysson's film is tediously overwrought, due in large part to the noisy directing and frequent use of slow-motion shots. I felt detached when watching Bresson's film, but here I was almost completely disengaged.
Rated 26 Dec 2011
thedicemanTheDiceman
Rated 14 Aug 2020
80
95th
Disturbing, this is a diluted version of what goes on every day all over the world. Great performance from Oksana and Artyom.
Rated 14 Aug 2020
abolitionistAbolitionist
Rated 01 Nov 2008
92
84th
I gave a good score mainly because of the theme of the movie and that it wasn't handled badly.
Rated 01 Nov 2008
ecitizeneCitizen
Rated 19 Aug 2020
70
70th
Oksana Akinshina is insanely cute in this sad story of abandonment and forced emancipation. It was so very sad to watch as her innocence slips away at 15yrs old. Worth watching, but this is a story of beauty and sadness. My paternal instincts kept wanting me to jump in and save her.
Rated 19 Aug 2020
margustaMargusTa
Rated 24 Feb 2021
84
81st
Moodyson has done fantastic movie. Its really tragic story of underage girl, who needs to go through sexual abuse to bay some bills. Its great dilemma to viewers, did the girl choose a wrong path or we need to feel a pity. Lilya's home was on my home country but not in poor village, it was in a poor town
Rated 24 Feb 2021
cubalCubal
Rated 18 Jan 2008
45
31st
After a somewhat slow start that sets the grim mood of the flick, the movie continues to hammer any hope and belief you may have in humanity into a small wet spot on the ground. It's not really a comfortable movie to watch, but once you approach the finale, stuff doth becme predictable.
Rated 18 Jan 2008
geohawkgeohawk
Rated 05 Dec 2014
93
88th
There is nothing light-hearted to say about this film that shows its ugly topic right from the start and never stops.
Rated 05 Dec 2014
hofschneiderHofschneider
Rated 27 Apr 2014
75
45th
The story would've been better without the dream-sequences. But in the end I'm not sure about the whole movie either. It didn't gave me enough. Or am I ingnorant or cruel or blunted to say so - because I want to haul this subject - in a neurotic way - on an intellectuel level? Shouldn't it be enough to show grief, despair in such a intense way, thanks to the amazing lead? I'm torn. This movie made me sad, but the only thing I took from it was that Russia and men in general are pretty fucked up!
Rated 27 Apr 2014
karamazovkaramazov.
Rated 04 Jul 2013
34
43rd
Very bleak in its best moments, but overall fairly uninspired, with religious symbolism that is hollow rather than transcendent. Very much agree with user djross w/r/t TP:FWwM.
Rated 04 Jul 2013
anttirAnttiR
Rated 15 Nov 2017
10
0th
This film was just about to make audience suffer, and was succesful in it. I knew it was a bad idea to watch it and I am still sorry I did it.
Rated 15 Nov 2017
rihreyrihrey
Rated 13 Nov 2023
78
98th
Least depressing movie set in Russia/Sweden.
Rated 13 Nov 2023
gokseltuzungokseltuzun
Rated 29 Jan 2013
98
89th
mukemmel
Rated 29 Jan 2013

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