Lilja 4-ever is a very touching and sad movie. I would go so far as to say it is downright depressing. But it is also a very important movie. It shows us one of the many sides of human trafficking, a global problem that I fear is growing.
What makes this movie so good is the extremely realistic story. I have no doubt that what we see in the movie also happens on a large scale across Europe today. If we want people to be aware of the problem with human trafficking, we need to show them how it happens and Lilja 4-ever is a great example.
There is no happy ending which is uncommon for movies today. You are left with a feeling of horror by what happens during the film, but hopefully a little more aware of the problem.
With a mostly unknown cast director Lukas Moodysson has done a fantastic job in creating this. Oksana Akinshina playing Silja is amazing in her role and really steals the show, if you could call it that. The movie is filled with a lot of tekno/dance music which I personally felt further helped the movie. And the Rammstein song: Mein Herz brennt is a great choice for the opening and ending.
Lilja 4-ever is a must see movie for everyone. It has some very important themes. Combining these important messages with a great technically made movie is something you don't find that often. 9/10