Movie is quite sad and shows the unfortunate life of a girl who is caught in awful circumstances...lead actress was great...definitely a must watch...

Lilja 4-ever is a hard film to watch because it shows the raw and naked reality of the world. There is no superhero to save you. The viewer is sure that the world is cruel and inhabited by disgusting men and women. It is portrayed as in the conversation between Rocky and his son in the movie Rocky Balboa (2006): "The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life".The writer and director is the Swedish Lukas Moodysson, from F*cking Åmål (Show me Love - 1998) and Tillsammans (Together - 2000). The story chronicles the life of a 16 years old Lilja (Oksana Akinshina), who lives with her mother (Lyubov Agapova) in a poor and dreary suburb somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Lilja is beautiful, rebellious, unexpectedly devout, kneeling always before her favorite photo of an angel with a child, and above all, she is naive. She and her mother would emigrate to the United States with her mother's new husband, but her dreams of a better life crumbles when she finds out that she will be left behind, under the guardianship of her aunt (Lilija Sjinkarjova), to eventually join them later. As the time passes by and she doesn't receive letters or money, there is a feeling that she was abandoned. With no help from her aunt, she is forced to move into a tiny apartment without electricity or heating. Desperate, she receives aid from Volodya (Artyom Bogucharsky), a boy of only 11 years old, her only friend. Disillusioned and broke, the girl meets and falls in love with Andrei (Pavel Ponomarjov), who offers her employment and a chance of a better life in Sweden.The work of the cameras was made in such a way that even not seeing some scenes we feel and suffer all the hardships aside with the protagonist. Using only the suggestion (the implicit feature that was given) the director reached and impacted the viewer more than if he had used explicit images. We identify ourselves in such a way with the central character that we want to warn her of the dangers in every step she takes towards her ruin. Oksana Akinshina, in the leading role, and Artyom Bogucharsky, in the supporting role, give us an interpretation worthy of take the hat off.The soundtrack was chosen to intensify the emotions conveyed in the film. It is responsible for giving voice to the characters at different times, expressing the feelings of joy, disappointment, grief, sadness, emptiness, anger, hatred and despair. The song of the German band Rammstein "Mein Herz Brennt" (My heart burns), which opens and practically closes the film, causes a strong initial impact, but it's heard with other ears and emotions at the end.Apart the denunciation of the tragedy that accompanied the lives of millions of people who have been abandoned to a bitter and inhuman life with the end of socialism and the break up of the USSR, in what children are the most vulnerable victims, there is also a criticism about individualism and loss of social values. The state of men without civil society is nothing else but mere war of all against all...Originally posted in: http://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

This film is both terrible and terrifying because it shows an accurate depiction of events in the real world that likely happen everyday without our knowledge of it. Moodysson does an incredible job at directing this film to create a sense of universality. This could be happening to everyone and anyone; perhaps your neighbour. your relative, or your classmate, who knows.The excellent cinematography helps in creating this universal sense, as during the montage of 'customers' we only see their faces, and not Lilja's. This is a very unique stance, and the fact that we do not see Lilja generalizes the scene to the people of the public, showing that these customers could be on top of anybody, even you. I find this montage to be very powerful because we as the audience are forced to be in this position, and so in a sense it is us that this is being done to, making us identify with the ones being trafficked.Oksana as Lilja does a wonderful job at showcasing her character's stubborn personality as well as initial innocence and naivety of the world she lives in. Her expressions, and especially her eyes are very powerful at conveying emotions. Lilja is forced to grow up in a short amount of time, and whenever one of her fantasies seem to becoming true, it gets crushed, and Oksana shows these transformations superbly. Artyom as Volodya also does a great job, and the young innocence yet wisdom his character shows is heartbreaking. As well, the strong bond between both their characters can be felt throughout the film.Additionally, the music accompaniment in the film is quite interesting. There are a lot of instances in which there is loud heavy metal music enveloping the scene. I take these scenes as ones which show Lilja's internal emotional turmoil, and though she may not necessarily seem conflicted, her behaviour may suggest otherwise. The best example would be in the ending scene when our auditory systems are hijacked by heavy metal, and the music can be seen as representing both her anger and frustration at her life situation or we as the spectator's inability to do anything.Overall, a terrifyingly realistic depiction of one case in the sex trafficking industry with universal implications created through impeccable cinematography, acting and directing.Read more movie reviews at: champioangels.wordpress.com

Lilja 4-Ever is a tale about sex trafficking, parental neglect, depression and most importantly, hope and friendship.It is a very emotional film and I was able to connect with the characters. The acting is excellent. The subject matter is very interesting and an eye opener. Lilya and Volodiya are absolutely amazing.Although most of the footage was filmed in Estonia, the story is about a 16 year old Russian girl, and it was based in real life events according to the IMDb trivia.I will not waste time writing a summary. Just watch it.