Lillian

A lonely walking odyssey across the United States, whose closemouthed protagonist travels from New York to Russia without money and without documents, without an obvious plan, without knowledge of the language, and with only a small backpack. The film contains a certain poetry, shown by footage that does highlights the director's documentary past, and in which a persistent and steadfast young girl appears as an unconventional guide to various locations. Otherwise, however, the film is a somewhat shallow commentary on the disintegration of America and its values, in which the same thing is said over again for two hours and unfortunately quite superficially (attention is drawn, among other things, to the simplicity of the demolition derby, the vulgarity of southern horny rednecks, or the oppression of the Indians). On the other hand, the protagonist meets a few people who are nice to her and try to help her a little, thus representing a remnant of the humanitarian principles that American society still maintains. The highlight is the metaphorical conclusion with whaling, but you have to be patient to get there. (03.07.2019)

The journey must have been long and gruelling, and the same applies to the film. I see that a lot of people find Lilian interesting and stimulating, nothing against that, but for me, in this case, the journey is not the destination. Fatigue and the uncomfortable seats of the Karlovy Vary Municipal Theatre may have affected the experience. #KVIFF2019 (04.07.2019)

A young Russian woman with an expired passport walks from New York to the Northwest to make her way home to Russia through Canada and Alaska. She spends two-thirds of the runtime walking through the most boring places in the United States, looking around, stealing something, sometimes sleeping rough and bathing outdoors. We occasionally hear an announcement on American radio or someone says something at a community ceremony – for example, an Indian gathering on the issue of oppression – and sometimes dramatic music like that heard in a Hitchcock film as she walks, even though nothing suspenseful is happening or is going to happen. The later northern locations at least give the film some atmosphere, but only the philosophical ending of her journey with one key piece of information brings the film to a higher level (don't read the synopsis). (04.06.2021)