*SPOILER ALERT*the_pangolinJanuary 21 2009, 23:11:26 UTC
Ahhh, Swedish cinema.
Where else can you find homosexual pedophilic/pederastic vampirism? ;) It still amazes me that so many reviewers of the film missed that, but I suppose I am fortunate enough to have read through the book so I already knew what to look for. I also thought they did a great job of making the actress look and sound suitably androgynous.
Re: *SPOILER ALERT*chibimermaidJanuary 22 2009, 01:06:07 UTC
Yeah, same here.
Seems like Oskar was destined to end up like the other guy who had been Eli's caretaker in the beginning of the movie.
I heard that he was a pedophile in the book......?
I liked the movie. I felt bad for some of the characters....
Interesting how its being seen mostly as a love story. I feel more like Eli preyed on Oskar's desire for revenge, his lonliness. Maybe she needed the "humanity" he could offer, but it became clear she wanted to use him.
Re: *SPOILER ALERT*the_pangolinJanuary 22 2009, 01:26:09 UTC
Now that I've got my own computer back, I can't do all the proper awesome Swedish characters.
Anyway, yeah, Hakan was a pedophile to begin with and it's strongly implied that that's what drew him to Eli in the first place. That was downplayed in (or maybe cut from the final edits of) the film.
I definitely didn't see it as a love story. I saw Eli as a predator in every sense. He used his size, his apparent age, and his charm to his advantage. He trained certain vulnerable people to be his hounds while feeding on the rest. That's part of what I enjoyed about the film and the book's take on vampirism: Eli wasn't just a mopey human with super-powers who liked his steak rare. Despite all appearances to the contrary and despite his behaviour towards Oskar and Hakan, Eli is a predator and he cannot see even those closest to him as anything other than pets and cattle.
Re: *SPOILER ALERT*chibimermaidJanuary 22 2009, 04:49:15 UTC
So since you read the book, what was up with the guy who came to visit Oskar's father? He was playing games with his son and then all of a sudden a guy shows up with socks and sandals in the snow....and giving him a drink becomes more important. Was this to show that Oskar's dad put "lesser" things in life ahead of his son and thus maybe was a bad parent? Was this a gay lover? Was this someone he was afraid of--relating to Oskar's inability to face up to his bullies? Was this a creditor coming to collect?
Re: *SPOILER ALERT*the_pangolinJanuary 22 2009, 19:25:20 UTC
In the book it is very clear that Hakan is himself as pedophile. He may not have been as old as he is when he dies, but he is definitely drawn to Eli because he is attracted to children. He's actually much more important in the book, and there's a whole subplot involving his ultimate fate.
Actually, I'm ashamed to admit I can't remember much about Oskar's father; he wasn't really the most interesting character to me in either version of the story, so I didn't pay much attention to him. In the film at least, I'm pretty sure the guy who arrives is supposed to be his lover. I'll have to watch it again and re-read the book.
Where else can you find homosexual pedophilic/pederastic vampirism? ;) It still amazes me that so many reviewers of the film missed that, but I suppose I am fortunate enough to have read through the book so I already knew what to look for. I also thought they did a great job of making the actress look and sound suitably androgynous.
Did you enjoy?
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Seems like Oskar was destined to end up like the other guy who had been Eli's caretaker in the beginning of the movie.
I heard that he was a pedophile in the book......?
I liked the movie. I felt bad for some of the characters....
Interesting how its being seen mostly as a love story. I feel more like Eli preyed on Oskar's desire for revenge, his lonliness. Maybe she needed the "humanity" he could offer, but it became clear she wanted to use him.
Reply
Anyway, yeah, Hakan was a pedophile to begin with and it's strongly implied that that's what drew him to Eli in the first place. That was downplayed in (or maybe cut from the final edits of) the film.
I definitely didn't see it as a love story. I saw Eli as a predator in every sense. He used his size, his apparent age, and his charm to his advantage. He trained certain vulnerable people to be his hounds while feeding on the rest. That's part of what I enjoyed about the film and the book's take on vampirism: Eli wasn't just a mopey human with super-powers who liked his steak rare. Despite all appearances to the contrary and despite his behaviour towards Oskar and Hakan, Eli is a predator and he cannot see even those closest to him as anything other than pets and cattle.
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Actually, I'm ashamed to admit I can't remember much about Oskar's father; he wasn't really the most interesting character to me in either version of the story, so I didn't pay much attention to him. In the film at least, I'm pretty sure the guy who arrives is supposed to be his lover. I'll have to watch it again and re-read the book.
Reply
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