So I saw Let Me In

[cleolinda]

I have to preface this by saying--well:

As the Lovely Emily, The Lovely Husband, and I walked out of the theater, and apparently one of her husband's friends was near us, because he shouted out to him, "So you guys just saw Let the Right One In [sic] too?" They talked about it a little back and fort as we crossed the street, and the guy ended with

Comments

[mdmbrightside]

Very good analysis. I'm still prejudiced against "Let Me In" for the unnecessary nature of it, the inherent one-up-manship that begins any remake, etc. but I appreciated your take on events because you weren't already set against it from seeing the original. I could see the subtle difference that make both adaptations different, but the broad swaths of plot similarity kept turning me off. It's kind of like reading the book before seeing the movie - you can't help but compare and feel disappointed.

From your interpretation, LMI seems to focuses more on the cycle of child abuse while LTROI seems more rooted in longing. By removing the pedophilic nature of her protector and Eli's hidden gender, you lose the undercurrents - wanting to be accepted, no matter the cost. Even the victims/investigator pub crawlers in the original dreamt of a better life

[cleolinda]

Well, the thing is, once you either know or realize that he's not her father, and you see pictures of him at Owen's age with her--you realize that they must have had a romantic relationship of some kind. And there's a really well-done scene where she touches his face very tenderly (a running thing with Abby), Chloe Moretz manages to make it very... not parent-child. But at the same time, the Richard Jenkins character seems so wholly devoted to her that he doesn't seem like a pedophile--the way she screams at him (in a really freaky, almost male voice), it's like she's the parent and he's the abused child, it's very interesting. (Which has implications for Owen too, I guess.) I think longing is still a large part of the story, but I think the actual horror is realizing the cycle of abuse and what it means for Owen.

[mdmbrightside]

Now that's a really interesting scene, reversing the roles of child abuser and abused. It's against my previous judgment I'm starting to warm to Let Me In by separating it from both the book and the movie it's based on (a loose adaptation, I suppose).

When I brought up the pedophilia of the protector, I interpreted it more that he was with Eli because he wanted to have sex with him and be loved by him. Eli kept him at an arm's length, needing him but not loving him. The protector's whole motivation for getting Eli blood is getting to touch him. Eli herself seemed more taken with Oscar (even getting into bed naked with him - is that in the remake?) because Oscar seems less obsessed with her gender, and after learning she's a boy still cares deeply for her. So it's not necessarily that she's replacing one protector for another, but that she's falling in love with someone else.

The idea that the Richard Jenkins character was once young like Owen can be assumed in LTROI but the book was explicit in that he met Eli as an adult. I think

[cleolinda]

Actually, her getting in bed naked is in the American version, too. "You're not wearing anything... and you're cold!" "Is that... gross?" Long pause: "No

[mdmbrightside]

Actually, her getting in bed naked is in the American version, too. "You're not wearing anything... and you're cold!" "Is that... gross?" Long pause: "No...?"
I feel like I shouldn't have laughed, but did.

So they did leave the Eli/Abby longing in there, that's good. It's interesting that they style Abby so girlishly and still sort of left hints in her dialogue and the bathroom scene.

It is looking worse and worse for Owen. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and all that. After this discussion and what I know of reviews, it does seem this adaptation has the darker theme overall.

[cleolinda]

Yeah--it's interesting, because the original seems to have much darker material throughout, but the ending of this one is so much bleaker.

So they did leave the Eli/Abby longing in there, that's good. It's interesting that they style Abby so girlishly and still sort of left hints in her dialogue and the bathroom scene.

Yeah, it's a strange sense of wanting to avoid the controversy and yet touch on it anyway, I don't know. But Chloe Moretz is really great--she gets a lot across just with her eyes. Longing is definitely there.

[shoiryu]

Yeah these are basically my thoughts.

[madeline_may]

By removing the pedophilic nature of her protector and Eli's hidden gender

I figured they'd do this, but I'm no less disappointed about it. Dammit.

[cleolinda]

Well, take a look at this--

http://cleolinda.livejournal.com/910474.html?thread=56197002#t56197002

I knew about that, and I thought I saw what was a subtle reference to that issue for fans of the original.

[mdmbrightside]

Sounds like it.