Let the Right One In is not at all what most people expect when they sit down to watch a vampire film. From the stark, brightly lit set designs of the Swedish location, to the complex construction of tortured adolescent characters, the film looks and feels more like a tender romance than a vampire film. Yet, as any fan of
Twilight or
True Blood can attest, today's vampires often reflect a very romantic twist, with the supposed "monster" often being incredibly attractive and compelling for both the protagonist and the spectator. Discuss your reactions to Elie and the budding romance between she and Oskar. What do you make of their relationship? Is it mutually supportive and loving? Or is it more nefarious than that? Keep in mind what we know about both characters' pasts: Elie's relationship with her previous 'caregiver' and Oskar's troubled relationship with his peers and even his parents. You might also want to consider Nina Auerbach's claim that each generation gets the vampire it deserves. If that is true, how does Elie reflect today's social concerns? How does this monster fit in with today's fears and spectators' expectations for monstrosity?
I think at first, the feelings between Eli and Oskar are a little more tilted to Oskar having stronger feelings for Eli, but then both budding to become mutually alike. Due to their similar backgrounds of unstable homes and unsturdy relationships, they end up falling for each other for the connection they have with their lives as well as the loneliness, they have each other and they both understand. My take on Eli's 'social concerns' is bullying, sticking up for yourself and trying to fight/overcome her inner feelings/monster.
ReplyDeleteThe relationship between Eli and Oskar are far beyond normal. This movie is slightly similar to the vampire movies that we see now, in a way that at some point a mortal person falls in love with a vampire. The budding romance between the two characters is intimately different because they are still young. They are both lonely and have no friends and when they found each other, it was a magnetic attraction. They may be attracted to each other’s personalities and special companion that no other person can provide to them. When they spend time with each other, they are different and seem happier. We can see in Oskar that he is more upbeat and smiley around Eli and so does Eli. I think that they have acquired some type of learned helplessness thinking that everyone is better than them. Eli and Oskar fit together perfectly because both of their situations are non-existent. They became best of friends and share lonely past and present situations. They are not the typical teenage romantic vampire love story. The love that both of them have is a start of a budding, long-lasting friendship more so than falling in love with each other. As for Nina, each generation definitely gets its own vampire it deserves because it seems like every generation has its own version of what love is. A vampire and human love is endearing, full of excitement, yet mysterious and dangerous. It also makes us think as audiences that Eli’s monstrous side should not be let in into our house simply. We should be very aware who our neighbors are and who our children hangs out with.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Eli and Oskar's relationship has developed by such tragic events in their lives. They both are more or less the "outcasts" in society. Eli has to hide from the world and cannot interact with anyone. She tries to even tell Oskar that they cannot be friends. Oskar on the other hand wishes in a way that he was like Eli. He is made fun of at school and doesn't do the same things that the other boys do. He sticks out because of his super pale skin and blonde hair. Most of the time he wishes he could have the courage to hurt or even kill the boys that make fun of him.
Rea-
I think it was interesting how you addressed this idea of being aware of who are neighbors are. I never took on this perspective while watching the film but because of the realism that the film displays, it makes us think twice about who we interact with on a daily basis and also makes us worry about the loved ones that interact with people that we may not be so sure of. Even though Eli is a vampire, there are many things that Eli could represent in the modern world such as a depressed teenager, a teen involved in drugs or even other behaviors that could get us into trouble.
The crisp, clear, almost haunting picture in Let the Right One In is not one that is found in many vampire themed films or shows today such as Twilight or True Blood. Not only is the design of the movie unusual, but so are the storyline and the characters involved. Let the Right One In is not your usual vampiric film, and the relationship between our main character Oskar and his love interest Eli is complex and in some aspects hard to understand.
ReplyDeleteWhen first watching this film the viewer may react to the romance between Oskar and Eli as an odd one. Oskar has strong feelings for Eli at a young age of only 12, but she tells him that they cannot be together. She is afraid of the danger and harm that she may cause to Oskar, but it is hard for them to keep away from each other. They meet everyday at the jungle gym outside their apartment and chat, and although Oskar finds some things odd about Eli such as the way she smells, he still learns to accept them because of the strong feelings he has for her. I think in the relationship that Oskar is the one with the stronger feelings rather than Eli, but it may be because of the harm that she knows she could cause to him and she doesn’t want to do that so she is trying not to get too attached.
In the cause of Nina Auerbach’s claim that each generation gets the vampire that it deserves, I think this is reflected in Thomas Alfredson’s film Let the Right One In because we see the traditional bloodsucking, scary and also somewhat normal looking human being vampire with a hidden mysterious side, as we see with vampires of any age. But in this time period one of the social problems of this time that Oskar has to deal with is the bullies that tease him at school. Eli helps Oskar learn to stand up for himself and stand up to the bullies, but is also there to save him and help him when situations become too tough which shows her loving and caring side for him as well.
When comparing Elie and Oskar’s relationship with vampire relationships in movies to this day, one of the most important differences is that Elie and Oskar are only twelve years old. When watching the movie about this relationship it seems to be more of a close friendship between a normal boy and girl. When looking at Elie we first see her as a poor girl that is lonely and that does not act like normal girls. It is not til later in the movie when Elie is brought out to be this murderous vampire. With meeting the violent side to Elie, the audience still sees the venerable side to her which is her friendship with Oskar. With Oskar you see a boy that is not really happy, but puts on a good show for people. He acts like a different kid when he is around his parents. The two kids were the happiest when they were with each other just telling each other their secrets and connecting on a personal level.
ReplyDeleteThe reason that these two have both grown attached to each other is for the reason that they did not have anyone that they could really count on before. With Elie she only rally had her “caregiver” who she ended up killing anyway at the end and she had to no else because everyone would run away from her when they found out that she was a vampire. Something that the director wanted to show us was that when Elie had turned that other woman into vampire was that being a vampire is depressing, hurtful to themselves and others, as well as wanting to die themselves. Then with Oskar he has no friends so he has become close with Elie. You can tell that he sees her as a friend because you normally would not want to be blood brothers with your girlfriend.
Something that the audience can take from this would be that you should watch who your children hang out with and even watch your own backs. Even being a grown up bad things can still happen to you in the dark. There will always be crazy people out there and I think that being smart about where you are at and who you are with is something that should be taught at a young age. Sometimes in the news or on TV shows we hear stories about bazar things and people. What the public needs to know is that it could happen to you at any time at any place.
As I watched a romantic relationship develop between Oskar and Eli my first reaction was that the situation was a bit odd. Both Oskar and Eli are only twelve years old and at first it appears that their differences outweigh their similarities, making the possibility for a relationship somewhat unlikely. However, as the film progressed and their relationship developed the two characters just seemed to fit together well. Both Oskar and Eli are loners. Eli’s only other relationship is the one she has with her “caregiver,” and Oskar appears to have a strained relationship with his parents and doesn’t have any friends at school. At first it is clear that Oskar is more invested in the relationship than Eli is, but as time goes on Eli begins to care about Oskar just as much as he cares for her. The relationship between the two seems effortless, unlike the relationships they both have with the other people in their lives. It is clear that both characters are lighter and happier when they are together. An example of this is the scene in which Oskar turns on a record player while Eli is in the shower. He begins to dance, and as she walks out of the bathroom she smiles and begins bobbing her head to the music. When either of the characters are alone we don’t see this carefree side of them come out at all, it is only when they are together that the two actually seem happy. Overall the relationship between Oskar and Eli is fitting, the two seem meant to be (Eli protects Oskar and vice versa). For the time being the relationship appears mutually supportive and loving, but the fact that Eli will be twelve forever is reiterated throughout the movie. This will undoubtedly cause problems in the future, much like what happened with Eli’s previous caregiver.
ReplyDeleteSwitching to the topic of Nina Auerbach's claim that each generation gets the vampire it deserves, I believe that Let the Right One In most definitely follows this idea. Eli acts as a “guardian angel” to Oskar in the way that she protects him from the bullies he encounters at school. Considering the fact that this movie was made in 2008 it absolutely reflects today's social concerns around bullying. In the past five years the issue of bullying has been widely discussed both inside and outside of schools. The problem seems more prevalent than ever before, and because of this I feel that Eli’s role in protecting Oskar is relatable to 21st century viewers.
I want the relationship between Elie and Oskar to be mutually supportive and loving, but when I think about it, I can completely see how it couldn’t be. On the one hand, Elie wanted to be Oskar’s friend before her caretaker ever blew his role as blood getter and she offed him, but on the other, she totally turned Oskar into the new care giver. Both of them were reaching out for someone to be their friend. Both of them felt alone, and trapped by circumstances. For Oskar, he was bullied by his peers and wanted someone to connect with. For Elie, she wanted someone who was like her. I believe that this is what formed the friendship. This makes me believe that the relationship is mutually supportive. I think as their interaction went on, however, Oskar grew to love Elie and Elie started to see the potential Oskar had to help her. She was still fond of Oskar, but I don’t know that she loved him in the same way he loved her. I think that their relationship was a reflection of the issues that many youths have to face. Two people reaching out for each other because they find a common bond in their alone-ness. Elie’s monster reflects the distance this generation feels from one another. It brings up the issues of bullying and the new social distance formed by the evolution of interaction. I think that is the vampire that this movie is saying this generation deserves.
ReplyDeleteThe relationship between Eli and Oskar can be viewed as mutually supportive. Eli and Oskar came together because they are both outsiders. Oskar is bullied in school, and does not appear to have any friends. Eli is a vampire, and her only social interaction was with her 'caregiver.' The two seem likely to come together. While Oskar is the first to make his feelings known, Eli eventually follows suit. Oskar cares for Eli, and this is shown not only through his affections, but also in his attempt to protect her when Lacke attempts to stab her while she slept. Eli encourages Oskar to stand up for himself, and eventually saves his life. The end of the film leaves the two on a train. Oskar caring for Eli while she hides from the sunlight. While the two are strikingly different, their level of care for one another is mutually supportive.
ReplyDeleteIn Let The Right One In, the romance between Ellie and Oskar is very odd. Two outcast teens finding love and comfort within each other, with the twist of Ellie being a vampire. Their relationship is equally as loving and supportive for each other. They both help each other and are there for one another. Ellie fit in with the generation for this type of vampire because it wasn’t as up-played and magical like today’s vampires are. This fit the time period.
ReplyDeleteLet the Right One In is an interesting take on the romance genre. Because Elie and Oskar come from very dark pasts and their personalities show it, the film suggests that the romance is not meant to last. While they both care for each other, there are elements that show a future where they don’t love each other. The first is Elie’s first caregiver; after he is discovered and gives himself to Elie’s hunger, Elie immediately searches for Oskar’s company. This suggests that Oskar is simply a replacement and once he has outlived his use, someone new will find fascination in Elie. As for Oskar, he is frightened by and adores Elie but there is evidence that he feels indebted to her. After Elie gives him advice, opens herself up, subjects herself to her limits (going into Oskar’s apartment without permission) and ends up saving his life, Oskar could view her as a savior for his sake. This “love”, while it may be unending, could objectify Elie as simply a monstrous savior, turning Oskar into a minion much like Elie’s previous companion. As for the claim that each generation gets the vampire it deserves, Elie fits well into our generation’s need. This is because we want someone to protect us but also just out of our reach and difficult to understand.
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