Lily Was Here (1989)
Lily works as a checkout girl at the local supermarket. She becomes pregnant, but before the child is born, the black father is attacked by skinheads and killed. Following his death, she flees to the city, where she soon finds herself under the wings of a pimp, Ted. Escaping Ted, she commences a one-woman spree of thefts, culminating in running from the police and the press. In the end, Lily must make a choice between freedom, and her baby.
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Sadly Over-hyped
Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%
The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.
This is one of those thirteen-in-a-dozen films, that seem to be made mostly for the video market. Still, this particular flick was quite successful in the Netherlands on account of the score, with a memorable theme tune, Lily was Here, by Candy Dulfer and Dave Stewart, and the debut of Marion van Thijn, the daughter of a well-known politician, in the title role.The film is the story of a simple girl, working in a supermarket, whose world comes crashing down around her when her black boyfriend, the father of her unborn child, is killed by skinheads. Out of luck and out of money she has to fight for her child and takes to crime, becoming a clumsy, pregnant robber. The help of a well-meaning small-time crook and boxer (Hoffman) cannot avert the inevitable.The film is reasonably well-made, making use of the modern architecture of the port city of Rotterdam, rather than the traditional picturesque Amsterdam canals featured in all too many Dutch films, and depicting life on the edge for the less well to do. Marion van Thijn is not a gifted actress (and this is her only starring film role), but her strapping girl-next-door body makes for a nice distraction from the usual starlet type. On the whole this film makes for a nice pastime, as long as you do not expect to be shocked or enlightened by it.