the bleakness slides into gratuitous territory in the second half but the apocalypse of counter-revolution in the first half is unforgettable
the fall of the soviet union caused the northern hemisphere's greatest humanitarian catastrophe since WW2 and the explosion in sex trafficking was one of its worst effects
i'd like lilya to have a couple of idiosyncrasies. she almost gets outshined by her little friend. perhaps such a miserable narrative is meant to drown out the protagonist's personality but even that designation feels generous
i obviously love bleak films like this, but without even the spark of a fightback it becomes a brutal viewing experience
