Downbeat excellence in Lilya 4-Ever

Lilya 4-Ever

Director: Lukas Moodysson

Cast: Oksana Atkinshina, Artiom Bogucharski, Elina Benenson, Pavel Ponomaryov

Cert: Club.

A downbeat film - forget any feel good factor here - that's full of heart and packed with keen human observation.

The story is built around a young girl - a breathtakingly mature performance from Atkinshina - and her longing for more excitement than she gets in her dull little world. Finding happiness, though, doesn't come easily and life is full of characters for whom the glooms is life enhancing.

It is a bleak film, but it is also an outstanding one.

Star Rating: 4/5