The grim reality of poverty and social sickness of eastern Europe is mercilessly harrowing and heartbreaking, as we follow 16-year old Russian girl Lilja being abandoned by her mother, used by her aunt, raped, humiliated and eventually tricked and forced into prostitution. The latter account of the even grimmer phenomenon of sex trafficking of minors within the EU is often unbearable to watch in Moodyson's brutally honest writing and directing. No sentimentality as far as the eye can see. For me as a Swede, one of the film's strengths is also the absence of familiar acting faces. Lilja's fate is the main core and it simply is an unforgettable drama. So is Akinshina's performance.
7 out of 10 from Ozjeppe.
7 out of 10 from Ozjeppe.