LILYA-4-EVA (2002)
Melodrama in which a teenage Ukrainian girl named Lilya is abandoned by her parents and left to fend for herself in the desolate world of 90’s Ukraine.
This is one of the more brutal and despairing movies I can think of. And yet, there’s so much meaning in it. There’s a weird comfort it creates in its dark brutality, like life still manages to have meaning, despite all the suffering. It’s as if IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE ended with advocating suicide, but still managed to show the ways that life is wonderful. Hard to explain, I guess. But I think of this movie almost every day. And, incidentally, the star of this is one of the more beautiful actresses I’ve ever seen.
