Eli as seen by other characters

For discussion of John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel Låt den rätte komma in
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lombano
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Re: Eli as seen by other characters

Post by lombano » Wed Jul 22, 2009 10:45 pm

cmfireflies wrote:I also liked the way (in the English translation) the pronouns used to refer to Eli change between he/she/it. Especially when Oskar confronts Lacke. Really neat way to illustrate what Eli means to all the characters and how Oskar accepts Eli.
Yes, the whole issue of Eli's gender is handled through Oskar's eyes, and it's done well.
cmfireflies wrote:This has also been brought up before but the entire film means different things to different people. I read a review where the reviewer liked the film but viewed Eli as a sexual predator and the horror, he/she said, came from us rooting for the predator. I only bring this up because it was a well-written review and the reviewer mentioned that s/he works as a social worker. Funny thing is, the review's tone was absolutely certain. It wasn't "one interpretation is...." but more like "this movie is about..."
The thing with that sort of angle is that even based on the film alone it's clear Eli isn't just using Oskar, a truly selfish Eli would find him more useful as a snack.
Bli mig lite.

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Wolfchild
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Re: Eli as seen by other characters

Post by Wolfchild » Thu Jul 23, 2009 2:49 am

cmfireflies wrote:http://cureofars.blogspot.com/2009/04/r ... ne-in.html

That's the link. Apparently I misremembered, it's not so much a review as it is an analysis of film with the central idea of Eli as a sexual predator. Also, there's some Christian imagery thrown in. I really don't want people to start arguing about the merits of the analysis. I merely brought it up because it illustrates how people have wildly different interpretations of the film.

This review is actually more intelligent than the average "OMG this movie is about homosexual pedophilia because Eli is a boy!" rant. Although the basic points of the arguments are nothing new. I got the feeling that the reviewer actually liked the film and then started to think about the implications of the ending. Unfortunately, he or she didn't give any concluding thoughts.
I think that the key to that reviewer's viewpont in found in one of his responses:
For a vampire drinking blood is the equivalent of sex for humans.
He never got to the point of empathizing with Eli's situation. To him the vampirism is about satisfying some venal desire - not about satisfying the necessities of survival. He never got to to see what Alfredson was talking about when he said:
The film suggests that love is possible and everybody has a choice and the one character that does not have a choice is the vampire [Eli] because she has to kill to survive.
Maybe his background leads him to look for victims. While this film is full of victims, he missed the point that the closest thing to an innocent victim is Eli.
...the story derives a lot of its appeal from its sense of despair and a darkness in which the love of Eli and Oskar seems to shine with a strange and disturbing light.
-Lacenaire

Visit My LTROI fan page.

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Aurora
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Re: Eli as seen by other characters

Post by Aurora » Thu Jul 23, 2009 5:35 am

After getting emotional connected to Oskar and Eli's relationship and even cheering them on, the horror then came with the realization that the movie was about pedophilia. The movie is told from the perspective of a sex offender and how the offender rationalizes the process of grooming a victim. The horror comes from the moral level of cheering on a sex offender.
That's from the review that's linked above, it does make me sad when people reach conclusions like that after watching LTROI :(

As for the vampire's blood drinking being the equivalent of sex for humans, personally I blame poor writers and directors
'bigging up' that aspect as a way of making them appear to be sexual predators rather than just predators full stop.
Team Eli

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genie47
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Re: Eli as seen by other characters

Post by genie47 » Thu Jul 23, 2009 6:06 am

It also makes me a little miffed to see reviewers thinking that Oskar is going to be serial killer material.

After repeated viewings and even reading the novel many times over, I have come to realize that he is not even close to serial killer material. Oskar is just as complex as Eli.
Låt den rätte komma in in both its printed and celluloid form is a slow acting poison. You will be poisoned white. White from arsenic and innocence.

To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage. - Lao Tzu

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gareth1971
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Re: Eli as seen by other characters

Post by gareth1971 » Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:52 am

Sometimes, when I read reviews of LTROI, I wonder if theres a different print out there, with totally different scenes, because I'm left scratching my head at some observations.

It's like they've seen a completely different film.

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genie47
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Re: Eli as seen by other characters

Post by genie47 » Thu Jul 23, 2009 1:49 pm

I think everyone brings their own influence/nurture when viewing or reading it.
Låt den rätte komma in in both its printed and celluloid form is a slow acting poison. You will be poisoned white. White from arsenic and innocence.

To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage. - Lao Tzu

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Balb Kubrox
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Re: Eli as seen by other characters

Post by Balb Kubrox » Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:02 am

Cheering on a sex offender?
This just screams 'I am a pedo in hiding and dont want anyone to know so I'll protest the loudest in the hope no one will figure me out'

How can you be interested in sex when you have no sex organs?
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TΛPETRVE
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Re: Eli as seen by other characters

Post by TΛPETRVE » Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:43 am

How can you even develop a sexual awareness when you have no hormones flushing your body? That's what kills Anne Rice's believability for you instantly. An eight-year-old vampire who kills people out of frustration because it cannot fuck. Very credible, indeed.
Att fly är livet, att dröja döden.

Do not ask why; ask why not.

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Balb Kubrox
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Re: Eli as seen by other characters

Post by Balb Kubrox » Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:56 am

Ha ha, I've never seen that movie and I'm still in no hurry.
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stormbringer951
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Re: Eli as seen by other characters

Post by stormbringer951 » Fri Jul 24, 2009 4:11 pm

I didn't actually think much of that review for several reasons. Firstly, for generally poor grammar and spelling. I dislike when people on the internet don't check their spelling properly, particularly if it's a blog post (as opposed to an MSN or forum chat). Secondly, as Wolfchild pointed out, the reviewer analysed it from a social worker's point of view and didn't attempt to empathize with Eli. Also, as several people have pointed out so far, the infection doesn't have a sexual predator slant, as Eli is a castrated 12 year old kid.
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