Lilya 4-ever

As someone who is from Eastern Europe, this is a very accurate portrayal of teenage life at that time. Have seen some Americans' elsewhere pointing out that the movie is not cheery or joyful enough, well, the life at that time wasn't joyful. Anyways, about the movie, 10/10. Acting, atmosphere, general portrayal of flats, living situation, friends, high school, apathy, etc. Very relatable.

Despite what you might believe after watching a piece of recently Oscar-awarded amerikkkan slop—where prostitution is empowering and a literal child in a woman's body working in a brothel is somehow girlboss—Lilya 4-Ever is a brutally honest portrayal of that same anti-human institution. It correctly points out the economic destitution, abuse, trauma and total hopelessness which collectively drive a woman to turn herself into a commodity. By making a loverboy scam a central plotpoint, it completely disregards any pretense of consentuality. I only wish the editor and cinematographer had given the fantastic script more time to breathe. The film would benefit from more establishing shots, wide angles, and moments of silence or stillness—instead of the hectic panning, frantic zoom-ins, and frequent jump-cuts. The main cast is beyond reproach.