Lilya 4-Ever

Acclaimed Swedish director Moodysson’s follow-up to his hit hippy film TOGETHER takes a distinctly different path in its tale of a young girl who emigrates to Sweden. Sassy teen Lilya lives in a former Soviet state where she has big dreams and a cheeky smile. But not enough to prevent her mother from abandoning her. Hope arrives with a new boyfriend and Lilya decides to stake her fate with him and leave for Sweden, but her younger best friend is suspicious. As in his début SHOW ME LOVE, Moodysson gets excellent performances from his young leads, especially Akinshina as Lilya. This intimate, moving film cements Moodysson’s reputation as a director with a decidedly humanist touch, manifest across diverse genres, and adds to the rich pool of European films dealing with issues of immigration.LILYA 4-EVER was nominated by Sweden for the 2003 Best Foreign Language Oscar.