lilya 4-ever (lukas moodyson)

i absolutely loved this film, especially the relationship between her and the adorable wee volodya. for me this is a story that is as much about their friendship as it is about the grittiness of their surroundings and the lives they are forced to live. that's why the dreamy sequences in the second half of the film make perfect sense. critics who reject them because they move away from the realism of the rest of the story just can't see the forest for the trees. this is not only about slavery or prostitution or desolate children. this is mainly about friendship. and it's relating to that friendship that these scenes work. lilya needed them. just because they are dreamy it doesn't mean they are dreams. for her they are real.

Rating: 9/10