Lilja 4-ever - depressive, moralistic, dispensable?
Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 4:39 pm
Several times now I was in the situation to explain what Lilja was about. Of course it's never easy to describe Moodysson's movies to someone who hasn't seen them. (You probably found yourself in the situation to explain FÅ at some point: "Um...it's about two teenage girls who... well you just have to see it!")
Anyway, when I explained Lilja depicts trafficking and child prostitution in a realistic way some people just weren't interested anymore because it sounds depressing, not entertaining.
Then I even read some reviews of Lilja who said, they didn't need the subject to be slapped into their faces, because everybody knows that child prostitution is a horrible thing. And that Moodysson was being moralistic in putting the viewer into Lilja's position so we would get raped ourselves if only visually. Also that the metaphor of angels wasn't very original.
I think there's some truth in all of this. Lilja 4-ever is certainly not entertaining. And Moodysson clearly has a moralistic intention. And boy, he delivers it!
Now wait, what was my point again?
Oh yeah, quite simple: I can't forget this movie. I have only seen it once but I remember almost every scene. It's that intense.
That being said, I started encarving it's name into a bench at Bonn train station. I even used a shard in the beginning but kept cutting myself so I switched to a small swiss knife... I'm not yet finished, because sometimes someone's sitting there or the station guards show up or my train arrives. So it's only "Lilja 4" by now. Hehe.
I suggest you all do the same. No really it's an order! Go vandalise some parkway bench in your neighborhood! Maybe we can make a frappr-map of it later or something.
Go now.
Anyway, when I explained Lilja depicts trafficking and child prostitution in a realistic way some people just weren't interested anymore because it sounds depressing, not entertaining.
Then I even read some reviews of Lilja who said, they didn't need the subject to be slapped into their faces, because everybody knows that child prostitution is a horrible thing. And that Moodysson was being moralistic in putting the viewer into Lilja's position so we would get raped ourselves if only visually. Also that the metaphor of angels wasn't very original.
I think there's some truth in all of this. Lilja 4-ever is certainly not entertaining. And Moodysson clearly has a moralistic intention. And boy, he delivers it!
Now wait, what was my point again?
Oh yeah, quite simple: I can't forget this movie. I have only seen it once but I remember almost every scene. It's that intense.
That being said, I started encarving it's name into a bench at Bonn train station. I even used a shard in the beginning but kept cutting myself so I switched to a small swiss knife... I'm not yet finished, because sometimes someone's sitting there or the station guards show up or my train arrives. So it's only "Lilja 4" by now. Hehe.
I suggest you all do the same. No really it's an order! Go vandalise some parkway bench in your neighborhood! Maybe we can make a frappr-map of it later or something.
Go now.