Lilya 4-Ever

Directed by: Lukas Moodysson
When: 10 pm Saturday April 2 2005
Shere: Muvico 1 - Centro Ybor

Scene from 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 and Together.

Lilya 4-Ever plays in a darker vein. Powerful and incredibly moving, it's the story of a poverty stricken Russian teen whose mother takes off for a new life in America with her boyfriend, 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 with whom she establishes a fraternal relationship.

At a low ebb, Lilya proves an easy mark for a smooth talking pimp who promises her a life of prosperity and comfort in Sweden. Soon the unhappy girl finds herself working as a prostitute in a country whose language she doesn't speak.

View the trailer.