Review of Lila Says (2005) by Elysia — 29 May 2009

Half a star for performances alone another half because the filmaking itself is obviously competent. Neither of these necessary elements could save me from the outrage and disappointment this film stirred in me.

It is predictable for all the wrong reasons. Lila is an all-talk sexually provocative young girl, she doesn't care what people think of her especially when she deems them not worthy of her time or energy (and is proven right on all counts). The viewer is invited to enjoy her as an erotic object, be shocked by her openness and judge her all at once. I suppose this could be fair since the film is from the perspective of a bewildered young man but, it's nothing novel and nothing is learned from the experience. Although the lead comes off as a good guy who was in over his head in his misunderstanding of this bold and unusual girl, I thought the film as a whole was deeply misogynistic.

*subtle spoilers follow*.

The final 'revelation' of Lila's innocence was possibly the most offensive aspect of theplot because it implied that if she had really done all the things she talked about her bleak fate was, if not justified, at least understandable.

It should make no difference and suggesting otherwise was storytelling.

As a character study of Lila it fails because she is not given a voice after the climax of the plot, as coming of age drama it was disturbing and as a window on society's failings I fear that it perpetuated the problems it thinks it was just illustrating.

I'm not sure which it thinks it was, but it is rumored that it may have been a true story, which explains why the conclusion's focus is unjustly skewed on the protagonists feelings of failure and confusion instead of the perspective of the victim-and I hesitate to call her that because she's stronger than the lot of them albeit troubled- Lila.

The title isn't ironic for the reason it is intended to be, it's ironic because lina get's no final word in the tale.