Let the Right One In - THERE BE SPOILERS HERE

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OscarGuy
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Post by OscarGuy »

How do you not get that from the movie? There's an entire scene where he asks Oskar if that would be ok. Then later, they actually SHOW where he's had his genitalia removed.

I thought it was fairly clear. The only reason I questioned it at all is that it looked like it could have just been a sewn up vagina...but, the irregularity of the scars should have confirmed this was not the case.
Wesley Lovell
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Sabin
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Post by Sabin »

Yup, Eli isn't a girl. Eli is a castrated boy. The book makes that abundantly clear. Nobody else I know made that leap, least of all myself. A friend had to tell me. It's fairly ambiguous as one could assume she's not a girl but a vampire and thus removed from the sexuality that he needs. But the book makes it clear that Eli is a castrated boy.
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OscarGuy
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Post by OscarGuy »

SPOILERS And, as I recall, Eli is actually not a girl. I think the film makes this quite explicit. And like Sabin, I also got the impression that although Eli refers to her feeder as her father, he is actually enamored with him/her.
Wesley Lovell
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Post by Sabin »

Are you posing this as an issue of morality? Because I'd agree with you, those boys probably don't deserve to die.

One of the most underplayed aspects of Let the Right One In is the cyclical nature of the film. At the beginning of the movie, the old man is clearly an aged paramour of Eli who was most likely no older than Oskar at the beginning. He has outlived his usefulness and has endangered her existence having lived in her servitude for some time and is done away with. The same fate is to befall Oskar some day. This is a movie about coming of age along with disposal. Is Oskar's torment so bad that children have to die? No, but his proximity to an undead wrathful eternal opens a door that he takes. It's not about right or wrong or being okay with it.
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Post by Okri »

Okay, continuing the discussion from "Most Overrated Film of 2008" thread (SPOILERS BELOW)

Correct me if I'm wrong regarding any actual cinematic details - I saw this in September.

re: The climax/ending

Oskar is in the swimming pool, being forced to hold his breath by the relatively sadistic older brother of someone he injured. Eli comes in, kills three people (I believe she decapitates one of the boys). Now, yes, the boys were likely prepping to kick the shit out of Oskar, and we like him, but seriously? The film is all right with it, though (and I don't mean Oskar - he gets a bit of a pass as the girl he loves just saved his life). But we're supposed to be okay with it. I don't see how that's any different from Wanted's wanton violence and casual "killing people is cool" (except that the film is so ludicrous that you can't take it seriously).

I'm curious about any defenses, honestly. I'm willing to give this another shot.
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