LILYA 4-EVER

Swedish writer/director Lukas Moodysson attracted a large following in the U.S. for his smart and funny humanist dramas, “Show Me Love” (24th CIFF) and “Togeter”. LILYA 4-EVER plays in a darker vein, focusing on the sexual slavery of desperate Eastern European women. Powerful and incredibly moving, it's the story of a poverty-stricken Russian teen whose mother takes off for a new life in America, abandoning her to the none-too-tender care of a conniving aunt. The aunt nabs the family's apartment, forcing Lilya to move into shabby quarters nearby. When Lilya's schoolmates start to spread lies about her, Lilya's only source of comfort is an 11-year-old street kid named Volodya with whom she establishes a fraternal relationship. Lonely and vulnerable, especially after learning that her mother has disowned her, Lilya proves an easy mark for a smooth-talking pimp named Andrei who promises her a life of prosperity and comfort in Sweden. Soon the unhappy girl finds herself forced to work as a prostitute in a country whose language she doesn't speak. Though the depiction of Russia is hardly flattering, Sweden fares no better, portrayed as a country of dark, neon-lit streets and de-humanized men who seek sex without emotion. This film combines an acerbic criticism of capitalism, which director Moodysson sees as the underlying cause of the sex trade. As in his other films, the soundtrack is carefully honed, from the German rock group Rammstein to Nathan Larson's evocative original score. Winner of Best Film and Best Actress prizes at the Gijon Film Festival. (In Russian and Swedish with English subtitles)