the fresh films reviews

S I N C E   1 9 9 7











 

 

 

Lilja 4-ever (2002)

Directed by:
Lukas Moodysson
COUNTRY
Sweden
GENRE
Drama
INTERNATIONAL TITLE
Lilja 4-ever
RUNNING TIME
109 minutter
Produced by:
Lars Jönsson
Written by:
Lukas Moodysson


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Lilja Oksana Akinshina
Volodja Artyom Bogucharsky ½

 

Review

Lukas Moodysson's Lilja 4-ever is an important document which is a bit too aware of its importance. The heart-rending story of a 16-year-old girl from a republic of the former Soviet Union who dreams of the wonderful west and is tricked into a world of slavery and prostitution is unfortunately anything but exclusive. But Moodysson, perhaps the most talented Swedish director since Lasse Hallström, gets too preoccupied with morale and tragedy, and restrains his characters to scenes and sequences that too often are just there for the sake of the plot's progression and our misery. In turn, this makes the movie too predictable. We anticipate every move long before it happens, and although Lilja 4-ever never was meant to be a suspense film, it would have profited from keeping its narrative progression more fresh and dynamic.

Copyright © 24.9.2004 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang [HAVE YOUR SAY]