Lillian is a rarity....(T)he lead character is played by the woman on whom this portrait is based....It's a practically flawless real-life depiction of a fifty-seven-year-old black woman living in the South, whose life consists of caring for her granddaughter, several other foster children, and three elderly patients. Williams has composed an entirely unsentimental view of a woman whose day-to-day existence is all but overwhelming, and yet whose persona is unfailingly serene and caring....The film feels authentic as much as it seems spontaneous. It is a hybrid of fiction and reality, utilizing documentary techniques to effect an emotionally touching, yet somewhat austere, illustration of nurturing and self-sacrifice....Lillian is a small film in the best sense of that word. On a minuscule budget, this film illustrates the originality and truth that so-called regional filmmaking can bring us.-Geoffrey Gilmore, Sundance Film Festival (Special Jury Award for Distinction, 1993)