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Lilya 4-Ever

Play trailer Poster for Lilya 4-Ever R 2003 1h 49m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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84% Tomatometer 70 Reviews 91% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Lilya (Oksana Akinshina) lives in poverty and dreams of a better life. Her mother moves to the United States and abandons her to her aunt (Liliya Shinkaryova), who neglects her. Lilya hangs out with her friends, Natasha (Elina Benenson) and Volodya (Artiom Bogucharski), who is suicidal. Desperate for money, she starts working as a prostitute, and later meets Andrei (Pavel Ponomaryov). He offers her a good job in Sweden, but when Lilya arrives her life quickly enters a downward spiral.
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Lilya 4-Ever

Lilya 4-Ever

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Critics Consensus

A tragic, hard-hitting story about a teenager trapped in a life of prostitution.

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Critics Reviews

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James Christopher The Times (UK) Dec 7, 2018
After making such a brilliant splash with his first two films -- Show Me Love and Together -- the Swedish director Lukas Moodysson seems to dry up in Lilya 4-ever. Go to Full Review Alexander Walker London Evening Standard Jan 10, 2018
The social questions it raises are real enough; its sentimentality is what makes one doubt Moodysson is Ingmar Bergman's heir. Not by a long sob. Go to Full Review Ty Burr Boston Globe Jul 25, 2003
3/4
[Moodysson] dives into the soul of a 16-year-old Estonian girl and tears you apart. Go to Full Review Wael Khairy The Cinephile Fix Nov 20, 2023
The film left me completely devastated and Oksana Akinshina’s performance is absolutely heartbreaking....“Lilya 4-ever” was so powerful it helped reshape laws within society. This is as important and urgent as cinema gets. Go to Full Review Jay Antani Cinema Writer Aug 17, 2010
3/4
Lilya 4-Ever gives us a glorious, heart-wrenching debut performance in the lead, as auspicious as any in the history of cinema." Go to Full Review Brian Orndorf BrianOrndorf.com Dec 17, 2009
A
A harsh dramatic brew, Lilya 4-Ever is a monumental, abrasive document of a young life flushed down the drain; it's an exceptional, deafening humanitarian alarm that will continue to overwhelm and outrage for years to come. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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angi S @bellalastseen Aug 10, 2026 My poor Lilja.. This movie did something to me. I watched it years ago but it's definitely stayed with me. I recommend because it's the dark reality of someones life in this world See more Petros T @PetrosTserpelis Feb 27, 2025 The subject matter is really harsh, however there's a tenderness to the way Moodysson approaches the protagonist, all the while without sacrificing the realism. Lead Oksana Akinshina provides a captivating performance, and the even younger Artyom Bogucharskiy is also convincing. The film is notable for showing how neglect and abuse stack up in various (interconnected) forms thus trapping the protagonist; that being said, the final part is weaker, and the metaphysics are a little too on the nose. See more Courtney K @c0urtn3y Nov 17, 2024 idk; i guess it does a good job portraying a sad story... i just wasn't really affected by it quite so much as others were. See more Jonathan K @aFIREintheattic Aug 25, 2024 Brutal and harsh. The camera work gives it a documentary or reality TV feel that makes the injustice and darkness of the story stick to you in the most haunting of ways. It's not easy to shake. An extremely bleak movie depicting a reality that devastatingly isn't fictional in our world. See more Colin M @RT35044827 Oct 12, 2023 A 16-year-old finds herself alone in the world and tries to get by. Subtitled in English. See more favio c @RT04646120 Aug 29, 2023 Cruda, grafica y potente pelicula sobre la vida de la joven Lilyan en la pobreza y la soledad. See more Read all reviews
Lilya 4-Ever

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Cast & Crew

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Lukas Moodysson

Director

Oksana Akinshina

Lilja

Artiom Bogucharski

Volodya

Elina Benenson

Natasha

Liliya Shinkaryova

Aunt Anna

Pavel Ponomaryov

Andrei

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Lilya 4-Ever

Oksana Akinshina as "Lilya" in Lukas Moodysson's LILYA 4-EVER. Artiom Bogucharskij and Oksana Akinshina in Lukas Moodysson's LILYA 4-EVER. Oksana Akinshina during the shooting of Lilya 4-Ever. Artiom Bogucharskij, Nikolaj Bentsler, Elina Benenson and Oksana Akinshina in Lukas Moodysson's LILYA 4-EVER. Artiom Bogucharskij and Oksana Akinshina in Lukas Moodysson's LILYA 4-EVER. Oksana Akinshina as "Lilya" and Elina Beninson as "Natasha" in Lukas Moodysson's LILYA 4-EVER. LILYA 4-EVER director and screenwriter Lukas Moodysson. Artiom Bogucharskij and Oksana Akinshina in Lukas Moodysson's LILYA 4-EVER. Lilya 4-Ever (2002) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Lilya (Oksana Akinshina) lives in poverty and dreams of a better life. Her mother moves to the United States and abandons her to her aunt (Liliya Shinkaryova), who neglects her. Lilya hangs out with her friends, Natasha (Elina Benenson) and Volodya (Artiom Bogucharski), who is suicidal. Desperate for money, she starts working as a prostitute, and later meets Andrei (Pavel Ponomaryov). He offers her a good job in Sweden, but when Lilya arrives her life quickly enters a downward spiral.
Director
Lukas Moodysson
Producer
Lars Jönsson
Screenwriter
Lukas Moodysson
Distributor
Newmarket Film Group
Production Co
Nordisk Film- & TV-Fond, Zentropa Entertainment, Film i Väst, Svenska Filminstitutet, Memfis Film, Sveriges Television, Det Danske Filminstitut
Rating
R (Rape|Language|Drug Use|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Swedish
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 11, 2003, Wide
Box Office (Gross USA)
$181.7K
Runtime
1h 49m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital
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