Lilya 4-Ever

Lilya 4-Ever is a harsh crime drama about exploitation, and it goes after that subject with the kind of unblinking severity that makes the title stick in the mind. By our assessment, its strength is the refusal to soften anything: the film stays close to its protagonist's vulnerability and builds its force from plain, painful pressure rather than melodrama. The downside is that this severity can be exhausting, because it gives very little relief and almost no comfort. In practice it feels stripped and unsparing, the sort of movie that asks for attention and then holds it without much mercy. Compared with more conventional crime stories, it is less about plot mechanics than about social damage and trapped lives. The number in the title also gives it a stark, memorable shape. Lilya 4-Ever is for viewers prepared for serious, grim cinema, and it is not for anyone looking for a light or easy watch.