If you're convinced the amazing Brazilian Oscar entry City of God was ignored by the Academy this past awards season because of its gloom and violence, their omission of Lilja 4-Ever should come as even less of a surprise (internal feud over whether it should be eligible at all notwithstanding – it's a Swedish film but it's in Russian).  This is the kind of film that's so bleak and depressing, it'll make you want to punch holes in the wall.  Also, it's about a 14-year-old girl and forced prostitution.  4-Ever may as well have an "Ignore me, Oscar!" stamp right on it.

That's a damn shame, too, because 4-Ever is one of the better films – in any language – you'll see this year.  It's not quite the crowd pleaser Lukas Moodysson's previous two pictures were (Fucking Åmål and Together), but 4-Ever is an important film with an unforgettable out-of-left-field performance that will likely haunt you for days.  And, more importantly, it just might make you think twice before you bang your next underage whore.

Set in an anonymous former Soviet republic (filmed in Estonia), 4-Ever takes place amidst cold, crumbling buildings that look deserted but are homes to very miserable families.  One is comprised of Lilja (Oksana Akinshina) and her mother (Lyubov Agapova), the latter of whom has met (through a dating service) and is about to marry an American.  This is tremendous news for young Lilja, as it means she'll be leaving the squalor of whereverthefucksheis for the perpetually sunny United States: Land of blue jeans and Coca-Cola.

Lilja's euphoric celebration on what is supposed to be Moving Day is brought to a screeching halt when Mom tells her she has to, at least temporarily, stay behind.  As if that weren't bad enough, she is sent off to live with a bitter, elderly aunt, who provides Lilja, literally, with just a roof above her head.  Meanwhile, the rebellious teen sinks further and further into a world of glue-sniffing with her 11-year-old sidekick Volodya (Artyom Bogucharsky) and best friend Natasha (Elina Benenson).  Between Natasha's high-paying extracurricular activities and the her miser-like aunt's advice to "go into town and spread your legs like your mother," it should come as no surprise that Lilja needs an authoritative figure in her life.

He arrives in the form of Andrei (Pavel Ponomaryov), a Swedish visitor who makes a move on Lilja, gets her to fall for him, and then announces he's going back to Sweden.  Would Lilja like to leave her sorry town and accompany him back home?  Of course she would, because she couldn't bear to be abandoned by her mother and Andrei.  And that's where the whole "human trafficking" thing starts up.  It's a prophecy fulfilled, and it's very, very difficult to watch.  You won't be able to hear Rammstein's "Mein Herz Brennt (My Heart Hurts)" without thinking of spunky little Lilja trying to break free from an even more abysmal life than she originally had.

Some people may have trouble with the dream sequences (not because of the content, but because of the angel wings – it's too much too soon after Evelyn), or the title (she'll be Lilja forever, no matter what her pimps call her), but there's no denying that Akinshina is responsible for carrying so much more here than the actors in most films.  And she does so effortlessly, despite the incredibly difficult subject matter.  A surprisingly dark but still very welcome turn from Moodysson, who shows he's capable of making more than offbeat comedies.

1:49 -

for strong sexual content, a rape scene, drug use and language