they say picture is worth a thousand words, but often words make the difference. i'm fortunate to speak most of the languages in this movie and it seems to make a difference. therefore i'd like to outline some details relevant only if you've seen the movie already.*** spoiler start ***the first one is about the bureaucrat at the child protection services: his report/evaluation is a very important/decisive factor in Mona getting back her daughter. at first he's the typical formal bureaucrat, but after hearing Mona's fantasy story he practically forces her to face reality (by telling her that her daughter would be easily adopted by Italian families) and make a clear choice. then he even makes her statement "officially better sounding" by dictating additional text to the typist. an added bonus is the approving smile of the typist when he dictates his final recommendation.the second one is the blunt/real story of Mona: after what seems a one-night-stand she's pregnant, the father disappears, she raises her daughter alone having various low income jobs (you don't make a fortune selling sunflower in a train station) ... and gives in to the temptation of "easy" money, leaving for an "erotic job" in england. after facing reality there, she returns home. so the blunt reality is that she didn't return for her child but because she got fed up ... and is therefore clearly an unfit parent.now to the reason i liked this movie so much: while we know for sure that her initial fantasy story is just a way to cope with her own guilt, we get to see the firemen orchestra (no police, no special forces) "escaping" from her daughters dream to save Mona ... which is probably the reason that convinced the bureaucrat to see a potential good mother in Mona. we don't get a lot of second chances in life ... but sometimes, if we're lucky enough, it happens.*** spoiler end ***also, for the reasons described above, i think a comparison to Lilja 4-Ever is rather forced. both movies are excellent, but they're too different.

I do not have a shadow of a doubt to rate this movie with a 10 out of 10 , and I know I am not the only one who like it a lot. Probably is the best movie of the year 2010. Maybe if you already read the plot you got an idea about the movie but as the expression states:SEEING IS BELIEVING you we'll realize that this is exactly the case; You have to see it ! It is so rare nowadays to see real directors with good ideas , imagination and directors who tells us stories , now when everything is cheap and kitsch most of the Hollywood movies are remakes or you got the impression they got nothing to offer .As I mentioned in the title this movie is marked by a magical realism but is not like Gabriel Garcia Marquez or Isabel Allende or another Latin American writer the magical realism is European or should I locate it to the central and eastern Europe. They are no stereotypes about eastern europeans or politics in this movie , and there is a story , you just have to be patient , actually the movie is about story telling from the moment Mona starts to tell the story of herself and her daughter and later on at the fair and at the end in the furniture store.

A very irritating title, but that shouldn't put you off the movie. There are quite a few other things that will do that job alright! It is really confusing and has a very strange story line. Something that is anything but familiar. Not to mention that it not only walks a thin (moral) line, but crosses that line quite a few times.This is not for the squeamish or for people who are offended lightly. They will hate this. But then again, it is very unlikely they will find out about the movie ... and even if they do, they will only rant about it, without watching it. That's not to say, that everyone who's going to watch this movie will like it (look at some other comments, to see the controversy this stirs up).But the cinematography, the really weird story and very fine acting, will hold your attention. Going into the story would spoil the fun, of you discovering it. Though I cannot, give you any final thoughts on this ... you have to come up with something yourself ...

Saw this at the Melbourne International Film Festival the other night and walked out at about the 70 minute mark.I'm not sure if Hungarians or Romanians might understand this film better, I certainly couldn't.The lead actress is attractive and tries hard but isn't given enough to work with and the narrative keeps shifting. There was plenty of potential conflict in the opening scene but outside of that I soon lost interest in her character and the other characters she met along with way. The Director seemed to be going for stylish visuals and fantasy sequences whilst forgetting the most important things - the story and characters.I found Lilya4Ever to be a far superior film about a similar subject. I find it difficult to believe films like this one can even get funding.