Friday, February 6, 2009

Eli's coming, hide your heart boy!

Die fehlende Liebe, das ist ein solcher Schmerz.

In one of the best scenes in Werner Herzog’s excellent Nosferatu The Vampyre, Count Dracula (Klaus Kinski) slowly sneaks into the bedchamber of Isabelle Adjani’s Lucy Harker as she sits in front of a mirror combing through her hair. As the door creaks open ever so slowly, the camera’s point of view is the same as Lucy’s, looking into the mirror. Lucy feels a presence in the room, hears footsteps, sees an approaching shadow, yet she is too terrified to turn around, transfixed as she is by this otherworldly reflection (appropriately enough, this scene is a mirror homage of the one in the original Nosferatu). Suddenly, the Count appears next to Lucy, introduces himself, and Lucy confronts him for what he’d done to her husband Jonathan (by the end of the movie, he will have turned into one of the undead – I love that word). He won’t die, says the Count, before adding “It is more cruel not to be able to die.” Lucy is unimpressed, and declares the bond between her and Jonathan immortal. Dracula’s grief is all too real: “The absence of love is the most abject pain.”*

Let The Right One In is of the same ilk as Werner Herzog’s film, as well as F.W. Murnau’s original 1922 adaptation of Dracula, Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens. It understands perfectly that the vampire mythology is one of intrinsic pathos and loneliness. Some have hailed it as transcending the vampire genre, they’re wrong: it doesn’t. On the contrary, it penetrates the very heart of what it would feel like being a vampire, consumed with madness and malice; sorrow and solitude.

Directed by Tomas Alfredson, the film is written by John Ajvide Lindqvist, based on his own novel of the same name. Set in a snowy suburb of Stockholm, the film opens with the shot of a winter night – the left part of the frame is completely immersed in the shadows, and the right is slightly more illuminated, not so much by the light, as by a slow yet steady fall of snow. This is the world of Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) – even when it isn’t totally dark, it’s still pretty grim. A 12-year-old boy on the edge of pubescence and self discovery, Oskar dreams of finally standing up the bullies at school who make his life a living misery (there is a subtle subtextual theme of school violence, which is bound to be amplified in the Hollywood version already in the works) by practicing with his switchblade against trees or standing in front of the mirror (Roger Ebert notes the prevalence of reflection, literal and metaphorical, within the movie). He has no friends at school; his parents are divorced: mum is inattentive, and dad just wants him to leave as soon as possible so he can jump his hirsute lover. One night, Oskar spots an older man called Hakan (Per Ragnar, brilliant) moving in next door, and is soon confronted on the jungle gym by a strange “girl” called Eli (Lina Leandersson), whom the man cares for (the nature of their relationship is not immediately clear, but more on that later). She looks and acts like a child, yet there is a strange detachment in her eyes, and a putrid stench that envelopes her. Oskar doesn’t take too long to realise that Eli is a vampire – they decide to “go steady,” but not before Oskar finds out that Eli is in fact a castrated boy.

On the surface of it, this is a tale of a 12-year-old vampire making friends with a mortal boy. Even though moments of horror never take a back seat, nonetheless, it would be hard to describe the film as a vampire movie in the customary sense. Gone are the angst-ridden teens of Buffy, the hedonistic rock stars of the Anne Rice novels, the horny teens of Twilight, or the bloodsucking monsters of, well, all other vampire movies. Moments of traditional vampire lore are mentioned, others revised, and new ones introduced (in a hilarious scene where I was even more proud to call myself a cat lover). We find out exactly why a vampire cannot enter a home without invitation in one of the most effective uses of special effects of the past few years (the special effects are sparse, but when they are used, they are seamless, and sort of glorious) .

But the heart of the film is the relationship between Eli and Oskar. They are both victims of child abuse, in a manner of speaking, and they are both so incredibly lonely. The young Hedebrant does an extraordinary job of conveying Oskar’s frustration in the face of being unwanted, and Leandersson’s tragic take on being a vampire would give Kinski a run for his money. One of the most effective scenes involves Oskar’s sharing some candy with Eli, only for the vampire to get terribly sick and puke it all out. Blood is not just what she craves – it is the only thing that she can crave. Whereas most other vampire films and TV shows (which, frankly, bore me to tears) can’t even come close to selling the tragedy of the situation, in this one little moment Alfredson shows perfectly the hellish existence that plagues Eli.

I must discuss the ending in order to put everything in context so please stop reading if you have yet to see the film. Now, the film ends with Oskar running away with Eli, as he taps little kisses to him from inside his coffin in Morse code, the two of them riding on a train to nowhere. Oskar will take care of Eli just like Hakan used to – eventually he will have to hunt for him, and eventually he will grow up. Was Hakan another childhood lover of Eli’s, consumed so much by his love when he grew up that he was unable to let go? It certainly feels that way when you consider an earlier scene in the film where Eli berates Hakan for coming home empty handed. Will Eli find another boy, or girl, to love? And how will Oskar cope? This was the best film of 2008.

*The League of Gentlemen also made use of this line in their Christmas special.

Here is the scene from Herzog’s Nosferatu:

11 comments:

Kevin J. Olson said...

Ali --

That was a great read. I loved this movie, despite some predictable moments that centered mostly on the school stuff. I loved the androgynous reading the film provides, and I look forward to reading the book as some of the more buried themes are explicated a little further.

If what you say is true about a Hollywood remake then God help us. The predictable school segments that kind-bothered me about this movie will only be amplified by Hollywood. And there's no way they cast such an ambiguous looking girl -- it will be quite obvious in the American version that Eli is a girl, and they'll probably rename her too!

The ending is something quite chilling, and the idea of Oskar being the next slave (you wonder how there have been? The film is wise to never get into the history of it all) gives the viewers an odd feeling: on one hand we are happy for Oskar because he has found someone who makes him happy, but on the other hand he is now property of Eli, nothing more than a means for getting food. I like that (of course I could be waaay wrong; I need to see the movie again).

You're right-on about Nosferatu (Herzog) as I think it actually works better than Murnau's version. It's one of the eeriest films I've ever seen. I love the scene you reference.

Finally, I disagree with you about all other vampire efforts not being worth your time, need I remind you of a little show called Dark Shadows. I mean what could be better than a soap opera about vampires? I can't think of anything...

Dennis Cozzalio said...

"Some have hailed it as transcending the vampire genre, they’re wrong: it doesn’t. On the contrary, it penetrates the very heart of what it would feel like being a vampire, consumed with madness and malice; sorrow and solitude."

This is exactly right, Ali. I've become convinced over the past few years that people who say things like "This or that transcends the genre" are basically saying, "The genre as a whole isn't worth much, but here's a really good example of it," which doesn't strike me as something much worth saying. Why else would a genre piece need to transcend the genre in order to be worth talking about? Someone who has contempt or at best disinterest in the genre is the person I'd think least likely to illuminate why one thing or another is a superior example of a kind. I want to hear the thoughts of someone who has considered the genre seriously, critically, and even as a fan, so that the comparisons have some weight.

Yours definitely do. This is a terrific write-up. I have to admit my reading of the Eli/Oskar relationship was more literal at first-- the quick glimpse of the stitches on Eli's crotch was so shocking that I couldn't process it. Accepting without much thought that Eli really was a girl, I thought that what we briefly see was evidence of some sort of self-mutilation designed to discourage any kind of sexual relations, either out of self-defense or domination, with the likes of Hakan or one of the other slaves in his/her past. But the androgyny angle is most interesting and plausible, I think. I just picked up the novel this weekend. I have heard it is far more explicit about Hakan's particular sexual proclivities, and therefore it may shed a bit more light on Eli's situation as well. I do love the movie's ambiguity, though.

Thanks for this post! And check your Facebook inbox!

Dennis Cozzalio said...

"Some have hailed it as transcending the vampire genre, they’re wrong: it doesn’t. On the contrary, it penetrates the very heart of what it would feel like being a vampire, consumed with madness and malice; sorrow and solitude."

This is exactly right, Ali. I've become convinced over the past few years that people who say things like "This or that transcends the genre" are basically saying, "The genre as a whole isn't worth much, but here's a really good example of it," which doesn't strike me as something much worth saying. Why else would a genre piece need to transcend the genre in order to be worth talking about? Someone who has contempt or at best disinterest in the genre is the person I'd think least likely to illuminate why one thing or another is a superior example of a kind. I want to hear the thoughts of someone who has considered the genre seriously, critically, and even as a fan, so that the comparisons have some weight.

Yours definitely do. This is a terrific write-up. I have to admit my reading of the Eli/Oskar relationship was more literal at first-- the quick glimpse of the stitches on Eli's crotch was so shocking that I couldn't process it. Accepting without much thought that Eli really was a girl, I thought that what we briefly see was evidence of some sort of self-mutilation designed to discourage any kind of sexual relations, either out of self-defense or domination, with the likes of Hakan or one of the other slaves in his/her past. But the androgyny angle is most interesting and plausible, I think. I just picked up the novel this weekend. I have heard it is far more explicit about Hakan's particular sexual proclivities, and therefore it may shed a bit more light on Eli's situation as well. I do love the movie's ambiguity, though.

Thanks for this post! And check your Facebook inbox!

Dennis Cozzalio said...

Sorry about the double post, but I forgot to say the first time-- nice Three Dog Night reference!

Ali Arikan said...

Kevin, Dennis - thanks so much for the insightful comments. I am about to leave work, but I will reply to them from home. Laters.

Anil Usumezbas said...

It's definitely not a coincidence that the two best versions of Nosferatu were the films I was constantly thinking about as I was watching this one. In all my conservatism and obsession, I had thought expressionist silents were insurmountable in many aspects - needless to say, I am more than happy to have been proven wrong on some of them.

In terms of the several commentators before me expressing interest in the novel because "it may shed a bit more light on [several things]" I'm not a 100% sure. Last year's No Country For Old Men definitely worked better than the book itself, exactly because of all the details that were deliberately left out - the ambiguity and calmness resulting from this decision further enhanced the story itself. I think we have a similar situation here.

And yes, it's definitely one of 2008's best.

Gregory A. Samuels said...

Eli does not want to have Oskar as a new slave, Eli throughout the film was showing emotion even when she killed that guy under the over pass she was crying. Infact there were alot of things you could hear in the swedish version that you don't get with the english dub.And I personally think that Eli is a girl not a boy do to the fact the movie is separate from the book.Sure you see a crotch shot and yes there is a some scaring and no slit but SHE is a 12yrold girl so you shouldn't be able to see that anyway. This movie to me is the BEST FILM period. The only thing that I wish would be for certain is ELI to be a girl.

Anonymous said...

Hello Ali, Robert from Taiwan here. I have to confess that I neglected Nosferatu for far too long. It's been sitting there in VeoH for quite some time now, under Public Domain, along with a host of other films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

I have always thought that the subtext of vampirism is much about the human need to sexually overpower or be overpowered, the kind of need that is intrinsically habitual (since sex is in itself addictive). But I guess that would be the prevalent (and cliched) depiction of the vampire. We all know that in truth, all these myths about monsters and demons sprang from the human ignorance of the workings of Nature. A case in point would be this March 14 AP news about a Venice mass graveyard dig.

Could it be that Eli as a castrated vampire was meant to circumvent the old stereotype of the vampire? Still, I somehow find it hard to believe that the castration was a mere device used to underscore Eli's asexuality. From what you have recounted so far, it seems that there is an underlying sexual tension beneath the film. Oh well, I guess I have to see this ASAP.

(Speaking of castration, that reminds me of a decade-old Hongkong movie Swordsman II where the antagonist castrated himself as a means to achieve trememdous Qigong. He became a woman in the process, and his prowess was frightening to behold. Nothing like a fierce woman to cook up the eggs.)

P.S.
Your blog shaky? Ali, you are too modest. You are one of the best writers out there.

Ali Arikan said...

Robert -- Great to see you round my neck of the woods.

You are right, of course: monster stories are Jungian by their very nature, and why they seem to appeal to us so.

The sexual subtext is so thick in the film you could cut it with a butter knife. Violence and sexual frustration are two sides of the same coin, after all.

Anonymous said...

Excellent commentary on what must be the best film of the vampire genre. I followed your link from Ebert's website and bookmarked it, anticipating further great writing.

Your thoughts on"Let the Right One In" did clear up some uncertainty I had about the film (even after watching it twice). I was taken by the pathos of Eli's situation and the (possible) horror of Oskar's prospects, and I too will read the novel in order to sort it out in my own mind. Your insight about the nature of Eli's sexual mutilation was a revelation; I considered the scarring as her personal negation of her own sexuality, but perhaps it is much more...perhaps one more visible stigma of the horror that has become her life (or un-life, as it were).
I look forward to your future contributions.
Craig F.

Anonymous said...

Ali, we don't have this one yet in the rental centers. (Though it showed in Taipei's Golden Horse Film Festival sometime last November.) I may have to wait a while before I can truly see this. Eli's castration has begun to intrigue me. Coming from a culture which had eunuchs installed in the imperial palace, it makes me wonder if Eli's castration was the aftermath of some vampire ritual.

Other cultures effected castration as a form of punishment. Were this Eli's case, then he was much a victim as Oskar is of bullying.

Hmmm, too many answers do ruin a movie. I'll just keep silent and try to find the book while I wait for the DVD release here.

Happy regards,
Robert from Taiwan