Let the Right one In explained Reddit

Is Oskar going to become the new Hakan (Eli's Father figure)? Because if she never ages, it would be entirely possible for her to have been in a similar situation with Hakan when he was a young boy and he grew up caring and loving her. Perhaps it happened many other times, and she moves on after each one?

Just a thought I had (like most great thoughts) in the shower.

level 1

Yes, this is in fact the whole point of the movie. Eli is totally and completely evil, in that she manipulates young boys to join her and protect her and help her feed until they are old and die. Then she repeats the process. Hence 'Let The Right One In'..Oskar didn't.

level 2

That's the exact thought I had after seeing it. Then I watched the American remake, and they make it even more obvious with photos of (the American equivalent) Eli and Hakan as kids. It's just a loop.

However, in the book, she meets Hakan when he's an adult. She's only able to manipulate him because he is a child molester.

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Clearly she isn't totally and completely evil. That's a really narrow and close-minded viewpoint. Black and white, where there is lots and lots of gray. The gray that actually makes it a special story.

She might have been on a long and dark path, but you can totally also read 'Let the right one in' from the other side. Eli let's the right one in this time. Oskar helps (or will help) her to find a better way of dealing with her shitty vampire situation.

level 2

Wow I saw this recently too and this fuckin blew my mind. The ending was unclear for me but now I see the big picture. Thanks person!

level 1

What I always found interesting is how Eli represents the violence that Oskar craves to inflict. He has a scrap book full of morbid and macabre articles about serial killers and crimes. At the end of the film, I felt that Eli is his conduit for transmitting his inner desires for violence and power into reality. By assisting Eli, he is able act with the power and violence he always wanted. She's becomes his excuse to kill.

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I can picture you investigating a mole on your leg when the Eureka! moment struck.

level 2

And then he drops his loofah in slow motion, The Usual Suspects-style as it all comes crashing down on him and he makes his grand realization.

level 1

The best movies are the ones you already love, then realize you love them even more after realizing things like this.

My God, you're right.

level 1

been in a similar situation with Hakan when he was a young boy

Hakan was already old when Eli took him in. We have no idea what Oskar and Eli's relationship will end up being.

level 2

That may be the case in the book, but I don't think there's any indication of that in the movie. It's a perfectly valid interpretation, even if it isn't the one intended by the director (though I'm inclined to think that it is).

level 1

Yup, I reached that conclusion when I saw Hakan's reaction to Oskar. Got the impression that he was both jealous of and worried for Oskar.

level 1

I know this is way late to the party, but I just LOVE this film too much not to comment.

I've always gotten the feeling that her relationship with Oskar is different from that of Hakan. She came back to save Oskar for a reason. If she just needed another helper, she'd have moved on and found another adult to control, no big deal. She took a large risk by sticking around after making as large a mess as she did, and I don't think she did that just so she could have another helper; the look in her eyes at the end confirms that for me.

But that's what I love about this film. The ending is very ambiguous, and can be read either way.

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The book fills in a lot more on Hakan's character. Well, actually every character.

Yes, she is very old and needs a helper, and if you start them young you can keep them around a long time.

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I saw the Swedish version first and liked it better. I reccommned watching both.

level 2

Personally I like the American version better (saw the Swedish version first) - it just feels like it has a better pace to me. Additionally, the cinematography is outstanding.

level 1

Unrelated to this topic, but related to the movie:

My roommate once told me that the vampire was not female, but male, and that is what that one scene that shows her crotch is supposed to demonstrate. That his penis had been cut off, hence the scar. Now I consider my roommate to be pretty intelligent and more perceptive than I, and I was just wondering if anybody had ever heard anything to that effect? (I've been scratching my head about it for months now)

level 2

Yes...it is obvious that Eli was a boy and was castrated at some point. I don't remember (so I am unable to cite the source at the moment) but there is something to do with making men into eunachs, but I can't remember the relevance, other than seeing a flash of Eli's scars.

But it adds another interesting layer to Eli and Oskars relationship, especially when his father certainly seems gay (and an alcoholic to boot).

level 2

You forgot the scene when Oskar asks Eli to be his girlfriend and Eli says "I'm not a girl." You think that she's either talking about being older or not being human, but she's actually blatantly telling Oskar her gender there.

level 2

I actually did hear that, and I think that's what happened in the book.

What is the meaning of Let the Right One In?

Who is the monster in Let the Right One In?

What happens at the end of Let the Right One In?

How was Eli turned into a vampire in Let the Right One In?