In this meeting, fewer words are spoken than in any other. Therefore, we have to rely almost exclusively on the visuals and previous events to find explanations for what's happening. (Basically, we all somehow sense what's going on with the children; the director "leads" us through the plot in this way, but reconstructing a logical explanation from the previous scenes, figuring out what and how the director wants to tell us, took me quite some time.)
A) The girl is playing in her room.
Same evening. Eli is humming to herself, just as she did at the very beginning in the taxi upon her arrival in Blackeberg, happily and contentedly. This time of course and obviously for completely different reasons. She's not dressed entirely in black like back then, but in red. Unlike at the beginning, she's no longer a vampire with a spark of humanity and hope, but a hopeful, almost human girl with a spark of vampire. But just as then, the peaceful atmosphere is deceptive. The scenery in the apartment has changed. The large cardboard box in the room, the faucet still dripping quietly and the suitcase waiting in the kitchen suggest the inevitability of her departure.
B) Oskar's Departure
Same night. Oskar now consciously bids farewell to his mother. He looks at her one last time, with a heavy heart, as can be seen on his face, before he leaves. Similar to his father, this is the final, logical step in his departure from an indifferent environment and his turning to Eli. However, this scene means even more. He is also now leaving his former home for good and moving to Eli (symbolized by the red blanket in the beginning of the meeting).
C) Lacke stands at the place of Jocke's death and mourns his friend.
tenth meeting - in the girl's apartment / Lacke's ending
Oskar wakes up in the red blanket and immediately notices Eli's message.
"HI! I'M IN THE BATHROOM. PLEASE DON'T COME IN. DO YOU WANT TO MEET ME TONIGHT? I LIKE YOU SO MUCH. – YOUR ELI"
As noted in a previous post, comparing the first small cardboard box with this second, much larger, more detailed, and more explicit message (9 vs. 24 Swedish words) shows us the crucial development of Eli and her relationship with Oskar. She is now barely distinguishable from a human girl of the same age. Her extraordinary friendship with Oskar has transformed into... hmm, what exactly? She doesn't write "I -LOVE- you so much." Were we too hasty in our proclamation in the last meeting that the two had found their true love in each other?
In general, the word 'love' is used very sparingly in the film. We hear it only once – a muttered and obvious lie from Lacke to Virginia. Thus, the term is deliberately tainted by the director and rendered unusable for the rest of the film. He therefore helps us understand the relationship between the two children in other ways – through the climax of the story, the film's music, the red coloring, the children's changing behavior toward each other, etc.
Of course, Eli and Oskar love each other, but they aren't aware of it. They love each other so much that being apart causes them almost physical pain. They feel a strange, never-ending longing for each other; they have this indescribably urgent desire to be together. Neither of them, however, realizes that with the end of their last meeting, they are practically already sitting together on the train from the epilogue. And here we come back to Eli's second message. Are they both secretly planning their departure together? Oskar certainly, but her?
Perhaps we should do exactly what the director so warmly recommended in the last meeting: Put ourselves in Eli's shoes.
She's not planning anything at all - quite the opposite. She's in a kind of "happy girl mode" and has forgotten about her vampire.
In stark contrast to the sixth meeting, when she hid behind Oskar with her bloody mouth (she was very aware of her vampire there until Oskar fell asleep) and believed things could never get any better, she is now much, much closer to her desired ideals (innocence, humanity, feelings).
Her vampire problem with Oskar has been resolved and she's no longer afraid of being rejected by him or losing her relationship. She's carefree and doesn't have to worry about anything anymore. Half an eternity of fear and loneliness has fallen away from her, possibly for the first time in her life. If it were up to her, it could stay that way forever.
Now she's the one „sleeping“, and instead, Oskar is very aware of her vampire existence and the danger to her.
It seems like years since she last had to kill a human for blood - Jocke. Håkan and Virginia don't count as murders. If we look at Håkan and Virginia in this light, then Virginia also (unknowingly) sacrificed herself for Eli, thus giving her a clear conscience.
The comparison of Eli's messages suggests her current mindset too. The content concerns almost exclusively purely human, everyday matters: please don't come into the bathroom now / do you want to meet in the evening? / I really like you. Amazingly, she's turning the vampire rules of her first message upside down: It's now more or less a matter of "stay and live" - no more mention of "flee or die."
Also very revealing is her very calm demeanor at the end of the last meeting, after the doorbell rang. Instead of frantically gathering her things and fleeing to Oskar's room, she not only stands there unmoved, oh no, she even slowly walks back toward the living room/Oskar! - even though he had already pulled her to the opposite direction.
And finally, the current first scene A in her room. She waits for Oskar, engrossed in her game, and in her contented absorption, she has forgotten everything around her and no longer wastes a thought on the slowly approaching, inevitable problems that we see visually scattered around her.
Eli may only be a twelve-year-old child, but she's not stupid. Of course, in her imagination, she hasn't truly and genuinely become a human girl. She's simply repressed her inner vampire. It's about the small moment of freedom she enjoys: no more fear, no more feelings of guilt. She has her Oscar and is euphoric because she feels like she belongs to human society again. Just like back then, "a long time" ago, when she was really twelve. Actually, that's a good thing - exactly what she always wanted and what we all wish for her - but unfortunately it's an extremely temporary, deceptive and ambivalent state that makes her vulnerable, because one important, real point hasn't changed: She is and will remain a bloodsucking, murdering vampire, no matter how perfectly she disguises herself and how much she wishes to be a "real" human.
Oskar listens carefully at the bathroom door. (What is she up to?)
On his way, Lacke passes the strange window again.
Through a sudden inspiration, he connects the ominous, murderous child from Gösta's report and the biting child from Virginia's injury with this window. He was standing here himself when the new neighbors moved in and he himself had reported about it in the Sun Palace. He spontaneously decides to simply take a look and investigate his suspicions.
His indecisive wait after entering the strange apartment lets us know that he has absolutely no plan and, in fact, doesn't really know what he's supposed to be doing here.
Lacke comes here, to Eli's apartment, just like Oskar did at the eighth meeting. He has absolutely no idea. He merely has a faint suspicion that something is wrong. Just like Oskar, he stands with his back to Eli (asleep in the locked bathroom behind him) and wants to look around the apartment. Just as Oskar wrinkled his nose then, there's something wrong with his nose now, too. This brings us to the ominous diverging phenomenon between Lacke and Oskar, the counterpart to Eli's and Virginia's color code.
Lacke's nose starts to run. Actually, it already starts in the street scene when Virginia turns away from him. There, he audibly sniffs twice and it continues at the site of Jocke's death and now even more intensely in front of and inside Eli's apartment. In Oskar’s case, this condition disappears completely towards the end. His last scene with a runny nose is in the "forbidden" basement, when he smiles at Eli at the door. (After her separation from him, it naturally starts again.)
Lacke ends up exactly where Oskar began: unloved, alone, helpless, without a plan – and, as a result, longing, grief, fear and despair. Oskar goes through exactly the opposite development. Oskar's and Lacke's runny noses symbolize a similarly opposing emotional and relationship development as the color code for Eli and Virginia.
Lacke isn't here to kill anyone in cold blood; he has a suspicion and wants answers. Why did he lose Jocke and Virginia? The mere selection of his knife in the kitchen - the smallest snipping knife on earth - clearly shows us that he came here without vengeful murderous intent. Our suspicion is immediately confirmed: the knife isn't intended as a weapon, but as a door opener for the locked bathroom. Oskar, cowering fearfully under the table, of course, has no idea of this, and the drying apple core in the kitchen somehow makes us wish Håkan were here right now.
He spots Eli sleeping and realizes that she must be the murderous child he wanted to "tear to pieces." He kneels down, holds his knife to her throat - and does nothing. The boy, too, just stands behind him, waiting vigilantly.
We all know that Lacke could never become a cold-blooded murderer, that his impending death was completely unnecessary and that he found himself in this situation purely by chance. He's a good man at heart, someone who's had everything taken away from him. In this respect, he's like Oskar: He's incapable of real violence and therefore can't follow his fantasies of revenge. But the moment he unknowingly puts the girl in grave danger ("I can't see a thing...") and begins to open the window covering, he's lost.
Oskar pulls out his revenge-knife one last time. Now he has the opportunity to live out his violent fantasies, but everything in this scene suggests the opposite. He isn't breathing calmly and doesn't look determined, as if he were about to pounce on Lacke and stab him in the back. No, he is scared and indecisive, just like Lacke himself. He hesitantly pulls out his knife and, silently and rather sadly, holds it toward the bathroom without taking a step forward. When Lacke turns to him, he slowly lowers it - rather shocked at himself - just as Lacke does, who, apparently also shocked at himself, immediately throws his knife aside. We see a momentary, complete de-escalation of the situation - until Eli intervenes.
Oskar doesn't close the bathroom door completely; he can't. He can't close himself off from this problem. He's driven away by it and hurt. For the first time in his life, he sees truly raw violence, blood, and death - Eli in the inevitable act of doing so. His face reflects the horrific events.
For the second time, we see Lacke's blood-stained hand, only this time it's not Jocke's blood. His problems have caught up with him (again) and, as always, resolved themselves, but again not to his advantage. He could have taken action, could have done something together with his friends, could have saved Virginia and his relationship with her. Then he wouldn't have ended up in this apartment and died senselessly.
The whole thing is a very repulsive and traumatizing, but also incredibly important and life-changing experience for Oskar. He is suddenly cured of all his violent revenge fantasies and his rage.
From his perspective, his bullies sink into a bottomless pit. They become as unimportant as dust bunnies under his bed. He almost pities them and their pathetic, little sadistic games.
Eli never intended him to be Håkan's replacement, and if there were any doubts about that, they have now been dispelled. By throwing away his revenge knife, he renounces all violence, forever. He realizes he could never do something like that.
Of course, he knew Eli was a vampire. The newspaper articles about the bloodless corpses, the incident in the "forbidden" basement, the Mind Meld – he knew what it meant to live as a vampire. But until now, the dead had been just that to him – newspaper articles, statistics, pictures. Experiencing the worst of it firsthand, seeing it with his own eyes, hearing it, is something else entirely - the rippling blood, the cracking bones, the strangled gasps, and the gruesome silence. He can't turn around and look in that direction, let alone go back, but he doesn't run away screaming either.
The director tries to show us the unpleasant necessities of Eli's vampire existence as brutally and bluntly as possible. Most adults would vomit and need psychological help if they had to watch another human being put through the meat grinder. And then we have twelve-year-old Oskar, standing there steadfastly. You don't have to be a vampire like Eli to realize from behind his back how bad he's feeling now.
To top it all off, she even thanks him, we all know for what reason of course, but it has an unpleasant ambiguity, a bitter aftertaste. (It makes him look like her accomplice, as if he had deliberately lured Lacke here and distracted him for her.) With her bloody hands, she hugs him from behind, much like she does with her victims.
She is very sad and incredibly ashamed of her bloody mouth, which she once again tries to figuratively hide behind his back, although it's obviously too late for that now.
[I must correct my misjudgment about the increased red theme from the review here.]
Essentially, Lacke symbolizes a person who, for any reason imaginable, finds his way to Eli's apartment. Curiosity, coincidence, intent, no matter the reason - that person will die, guilty or innocent, young or old, man or woman.
The central problem of this meeting is Eli's bloody mouth, which represents precisely this problem of killing, violence and the associated guilt. With this bloody mouth she kisses Oskar, symbolically transferring all the bad things and her guilt onto him, making him a "victim" of her vampirism as well.
Håkan only kills a nameless stranger; we know nothing about him. We only hear his money! clinking in his pocket and see his precious blood flowing into the canister; even his face is turned away from us. This demonstrates Håkan's (symbol of the cold vampire existence) indifference to any morality or ethics.
When the girl kills, she only kills people with names; she "knows," so to speak, "who" she is killing. Unlike Håkan, she is aware and not indifferent to the fact that she is sending kind people to the afterlife. According to Lacke, Jocke was "the nicest, kindest person you can imagine." Oskar now realizes truly and precisely this difference and her problem.
It's no mistake on the director's part that Oskar is only seen with a bloody mouth after the kiss, and not again shortly thereafter. Oskar's bloody mouth is Eli's point of view and realization in that moment. She realizes that if they stay together, everything about her will rub off on him, that she will drag him into her abyss.
She is a vampire and must murder and flee - or die (throbbing neighbor). This literally brutal "awakening" hits her like a sudden disaster. Happiness and hope transform into fear and doubt.
She sees how Oskar suffers from the cruelties he has experienced. She realizes (again) that he is innocent, but she herself is not. She will never be able to be part of his world. They are not compatible. With her mere presence and way of life, she hurts him every day. She has to separate from him to protect him from herself.
She sees him standing there, traumatized and scared. This is not what she wanted. She has unintentionally hurt her loved one, and she will be forced to do it again and again. This must not happen under any circumstances. She runs away from him, trying to pull the emergency brake. Everything has been fine up until now, but this is going too far for her. She cannot and does not want to see him suffer or be responsible for it.
She does not want to compromise him with her ugly, unavoidable needs. To her, it looks as if she is blackmailing him: "If you want me, you must also love and support my violence and guilt." But that is not the case. Oskar has long since made his decision; he has accepted Eli's dilemma, is aware of the consequences, and stands by her side like a rock in the surf. Nothing has changed for him. He's just been somewhat overwhelmed by reality. Oskar has passed his final trial.
What does all this mean? Perhaps it's a final piece of advice from the screenwriter and director: There are things in life you can't change. You have to accept them and live with them. There are always people who like and love you for who you are, even if you hardly want to believe it. Love and friendship are waiting just around the corner; you just have to keep your eyes open.
This meeting may end very sadly, but it also allows us to reflect on the incredible progress both children have made so far.
Eli develops from a lonely, humming vampire dressed in black into a happily humming girl dressed in red.
We first "hear and see" her growing concern for Oskar through her protective hand contact and the barely perceptible noise in the fourth meeting, and later, for the second time and significantly intensified in the seventh meeting. The director creates expectations in us about how things will turn out the third time around.
Oskar develops from a lonely, naked victim with a shiny revenge knife into a self-confident and devoted boy.
He gradually discovers Eli's vampire secret, symbolized by Eli's three-stage mouth transformation. Her initially clean mouth - from his perspective - in the first meeting transforms first into two bloody lips as she licks his blood in the seventh meeting, and finally into a completely blood-stained mouth in the current tenth meeting. (The other intermediate depictions of her bloody mouth are irrelevant, as Oskar cannot see them, such as in the sixth encounter or with Virginia.)
Each time, the gradual revelations of her vampire nature occur in exact synchrony, causing Eli to run away in alarm, and each time Oskar demonstrates his unshakable trust in her:
The first meeting was only about the fact that she is "somehow" different.
The seventh meeting is about the fact that she needs blood and must kill for it.
The tenth meeting is about the moral consequences.
This demonstrates not only Oskar's cognitive progress, but also Eli's own, gradual acceptance of her vampire as a given, unchangeable force of nature, as well as her realization that Oskar is only concerned with one thing in their relationship - with her as a human being who is just as lonely and in need of help as he is. (A very good example of this is his counter-question at the end of the fifth meeting behind the candy store.)
Equally synchronously, Oskar's initially sharp, gleaming revenge knife (window scene) transforms each time. First into a stained knife (first meeting), then into a corroded and stained knife (seventh meeting) and finally into a completely corroded jagged knife (tenth meeting), which he then on top of that throws away. This, in parallel, allows us to sense Eli's inner, invisible progress.
Eli: "Oskar... I have to go."
Similar to the first meeting, Eli says "I have to" instead of "I want to" before leaving, again clearly suggesting what she really wants.
Similar to the seventh meeting, she is caught off guard by the events like "in her sleep" and withdraws, frightened and desperate.
The supposed "setback" in her desire to be human, the bloody mouth, may be unpleasant for her, but it is not the real problem.
The far more serious event for Eli is that this time the hated vampire nature seems to be having a direct negative impact on her Oskar. It seems as if these two sides are incompatible (although in reality one is the solution to the other). This is why she thinks she "has to" leave him now.
As before, her two most important and sensitive issues in life collide at the most inopportune moment – the vampire and her Oskar. The painful separation seems logical and necessary to protect her “treasure” from harm.
Strangely, the reasons that lead to Eli's decision to separate from Oskar also give us hope for a Happy End. Eli is dressed entirely in red – she would give anything for Oskar. She is separating from him to protect him. She trusts him completely. She walked through his door even though it could have meant her death. She is doing the same thing here as Håkan – she is putting Oskar's life and well-being above her own.
And what's more: she made him a promise. Both children feel exactly the same after this separation. During their farewell kiss, she already looks at Oskar with guilt and sadness.
The director lets Eli despair one last time about precisely what he had already identified as completely unimportant in the previous meeting – the difference between the children. She runs away for the third time. But so far, she has always returned.
Like a puzzle, we now wait for the finale to correctly fit the last missing pieces.
Cheers from Dietz
(and some more later)
A very late and un-timely review by myself / Let The Right One In - Film Analysis
Re: A very late and un-timely review by myself / Let The Right One In - Film Analysis
Normally, putting the last pieces into a puzzle is child's play, but just like in the previous encounter, it took me quite a while to pinpoint the crucial points or find an interpretation that seemed coherent. It's obvious that everything somehow revolves around Oskar's rescue, just as the children form two halves that belong together. All the encounters in the film have a certain symmetry: When Oskar learns something or develops, Eli also gains something useful or changes. This was also how it had to be, especially at the end of the film.
Just as Eli's bloody mouth was the central theme in the last meeting, it is now her invisible mouth that represents the focal point of the finale and the end point of the entire story.
Just as in the previous meeting, we must rely on the previous plot, our own reflections and the visuals to explain what the director is trying to tell us. This time, there is plenty of dialogue again, but as if in an escalation from the last meeting, the two main characters, Eli and Oskar, no longer speak to each other at all. Everything between them takes place on a subtle, symbolic level. We are forced to draw our conclusions from comparisons and past developments, all of which converge here, at the end.
From the fairy tale perspective, exactly what we described at the beginning happened at the previous meeting. The prince has passed all his tests with flying colors and now wishes to take his beloved home with him. Instead, she is unfairly withheld and taken away from him. He is given one final, impossible task that he simply must (and should) fail. This additional test isn't really meant for him, but for the princess. For her, it's actually a piece of cake - the only question is, can she overcome her doubts and rush to her champion's aid?
A) The boy must return to his former home.
The director does a great job here. The woman who opens the door for Oskar is strange and unsympathetic: dressed in ugly brown clothes, with an angry, contorted face, a battle-axe. There's nothing left to remind him of the young, pretty mother before his departure - she seems to have aged 20 years. Like the boy, we hear nothing of her unimportant nagging. He locks all the doors behind him, including the doors of his toy cars - in his endless grief (soundtrack), he is insensitive to this old, unimportant surroundings, which he had long since come to terms with and which he so desperately hoped to leave behind with Eli. All his dreams have evaporated. Like Eli, the events have struck him like a sudden disaster. Happiness and hope turn into disappointment and despair.
Later, he reads the newspaper article about the unknown dead man in the ice, but doesn't cut it out. His initial gesture toward the scissors, which he then abandons, and his simultaneous reflection in the mirror illustrate his realization, comparable to throwing away his knife. He realizes that his violent fantasies weren't the only result of the school bullying. The bullies' machinations have influenced and damaged him more deeply than he realized.
By chance, he witnesses Eli's departure. Her taxi disappears irretrievably behind the next row of houses. No one comes back to pick him up. This short scene has a dual meaning regarding the interpretation of Eli's disappearance. On the one hand, this depiction means that with the car, Oskar's last hope vanishes into the distance. On the other hand, this now WHITE taxi also signifies the decisive change in Eli and our secret hope for a good end. Just like himself, she too has become a different person than the one who arrived at the very beginning in the black taxi, humming along, silently let Håkan open the door and walked up to the apartment alone in complete darkness.
B) The girl's empty apartment
...and the cleared table are irrefutable proof that Eli was indeed in the taxi and left. The director clearly wants to tell us this fact. And here, too, a double interpretation is possible. The table could, of course, represent the „end point“ to the first "false ending," as suggested in the English audio commentary. At the same time, however, it also represents something else: Eli's watchful eye and protective hand over Oskar, the sharp gaze on his enemies, which was already presented to us shortly before the eighth meeting outside the huge window at the swimming pool.
C) The boy is alone again.
A repetition of the opening scene at the window: Oskar places his warm hand on the cold windowpane – this time in a much more haunting close-up, reflecting his pain, which is twice as intense as at the beginning of the film: the returned loneliness, the grief over the loss and the certainty that there is someone out there who is perfect for him.
His handprint on the glass evaporates, similar to his future plans, hopes and wishes. The following short scene in the backyard, which is of course not an editing error by the director but was intentionally placed there, works in a similar way. The children running away in the background represent Oskar's bittersweet memories and the shattered dream of escaping this terrible life together, which now belongs to the past. Only the abandoned Jungle Gym, the site of their first meeting, remains.
Transition Scene
Instead of red rose hips and green leaves, as in the transition scene to the hopeful third meeting, we now see a dead and frozen winter landscape. No singing birds, instead cars rushing past on the distant highway.
D) The boy back on the hard ground of reality.
Like Lacke without Virginia, Oskar is lost in this world without Eli. Not only is he exactly where he was at the beginning - it's now much, much worse. Not only has his nose started running again (with all the consequent meaning), but he's standing at the window crying, inconsolable and devastated. He had renounced his old, indifferent world, his parents and his home and placed all his hopes and expectations in Eli. He had relied on her completely. After her departure, he now finds himself - much like Lacke after Virginia's death - facing nothing.
Even the ringing telephone doesn't revive him. He slowly goes to it, picks up the receiver and remains silent. He is shrouded in darkness and is just "a shadow of himself." His answers are monosyllabic and listless - Oskar has abandoned all hope.
The "tongue play" symbolizes the insidious snake on the other end of the line - he knows what to think of Martin. Martin is no friend, but he disguises himself well enough to dispel Oskar's doubts (he's scratching the tip of his nose). At least Oskar seems to be wondering why he's calling him and wants to meet at the indoor pool. There's only one straw left for Oskar to cling to, his last glimmer of hope in this conversation - the well-disposed Magister Avila and his training.
Just as Oskar doesn't know where Eli is or what she's doing, we don't learn anything about her either and it's actually unnecessary, because we can already guess what's wrong with her. Eli feels just as bad as he does. Just as Oskar's runny nose has reappeared, her red dress will turn back into a white blouse. Just as Oskar certainly didn't last night, she won't be able to sleep in her new home today and will be slumped in a bathtub, just like back then when she was facing the wall to Oskar's apartment.
eleventh meeting - in the Swimming Pool (Finale + Epilogue)
As already noted in the article about the fifth meeting, Magister Avila is far too busy with his tasks and distracted by other things to notice what's happening around him and what's going on with Oskar (perhaps he doesn't really want to – audio commentary). He doesn't see Martin standing to his left as he passes, nor does he later notice Jimmy lurking to his right.
Martin's treacherous betrayal of Oskar, his temporary, friendly, smirk-inducing fake replacement for Avila, was essentially already foreshadowed in the brief swimming pool scene before the eighth meeting in the "forbidden" basement. Oskar doesn't suspect anything and is pleased with the positive development.
Eli's presence was also hinted at. We can safely assume that she has been glued to the window pane outside for a long time, observing everything very closely.
There was a lot of discussion in the forum about why she appears at the swimming pool at exactly the right time and whether it's a coincidence or whether she might be clairvoyant or have some kind of telepathic connection with Oskar, etc. One suggested explanation would be very realistic and (at least to me) crystal clear.
Let's put ourselves in Eli's shoes again and recall the summary of the last meeting: Both children are one and the same when Eli suddenly has to separate from Oskar. Does this mean that she will now simply leave him to his fate and go on her way unmoved? After everything we've learned about the children? Absolutely unlikely.
Eli is a desperately sad, yearning and lonely vampire. She has spent years piecing together her unimportant puzzle egg. Time is irrelevant. Money is irrelevant. Oskar is the Alpha and Omega of her life – compared to Lacke and his ridiculous briefcase.
After the evening of her departure, her personal dream may have been dashed, but nevertheless (as before) she has only one thing on her mind: If necessary, she will move heaven and earth and watch over Oskar until he dies of old age, to prevent anything from happening to him. Unlike Lacke in the morning hospital, she doesn't sit around passively, "sleeping through" her partner's invisible and dangerous situation on the other side. Of course, she's very close to Oskar and won't be too late to come in and save him.
Jimmy's appearance is a reminder of the spiraling violence between Oskar and the bullies throughout the story:
At the beginning, Oskar is terrified, backs away, closes his eyes, and lets everything happen to him. Conny only uses his index finger, smiling (00:06:25).
During the second encounter, Oskar stands firm and doesn't back down, looks his tormentor in the eye and no longer shows any fear. Conny stays in the background and lets his two helpers, Andreas and Martin, now with a small stick, do the dirty work (bloody scratch, 00:35:50).
The third time, Oskar goes after the perpetrators. He has become stronger and braver and is therefore no longer personally attacked, but rather bullied insidiously and indirectly (00:49:30).
The fourth time, Oskar has the even bigger stick and the courage to defend himself. He warns the bullies and faces them resolutely. Additionally, students are milling around everywhere and teachers are present. Andreas and Martin stand intimidated in the background (excuse: "Avila will freak out..."). Conny is forced, for better or worse, to take the initiative himself in order not to lose face as leader, but is miserably defeated (bleeding ear, 01:02:00).
In the fifth and final encounter, Oskar (weakened by his loss, Martin's betrayal and Avila's absence) is trapped alone and helpless. The previously inactive "boss" Jimmy appears, armed with a dangerous-looking knife and wants to put Oskar in his place - permanently.
The logical continuation of the escalation leads us to fear the worst for Oskar.
Jimmy: "Do you know who I am?"
Oskar: "Yes. . ."
The balance of power and the inevitability between Oskar and Jimmy are made clear by the camera perspective. Jimmy towers over Oskar and takes up almost the entire left half of the frame. He casually looks down at Oskar, who, almost naked, defenseless and tiny, crouches in the water in front of him, looking fearfully up at Jimmy.
Strengthened by thoughtless followers like Andreas, spineless traitors like Martin and blackmailed or fanatical supporters like Conny, Jimmy is capable of gaining almost limitless power and exerting uncontrolled violence. The corrective is missing – in the form of the absent, inadequate and inattentive Magister Avila.
Jimmy: "Good. Then you get it. We're going to have a little contest. You stay underwater . . . for three minutes. If you can do it, I'll just nick you. But if you can't, I'll poke one of your eyes out. An eye for an ear, right?"
Oskar: "But that's impossible."
Jimmy: "That's your problem."
By giving Oskar the apparent choice between an impossible way out or the use of bloody violence, the final sentence, the decision for revenge, is already predetermined.
This isn't a choice but a means to further torment Oskar! He is held underwater by force (Jimmy's firm grip) and, out of fear of the "real" threatened violence, is even supposed to try to stay underwater as long as possible.
Oskar's objection of impossibility is rejected. This is proof that Oskar's "choice" is merely a pretext for Jimmy's true, violent intentions. Jimmy pretends that everything is fair and that the hapless or lenient outcome depends solely on Oskar. He thus shifts the blame for the inevitable violence onto the victim himself: Oskar could supposedly prevent everything if he just "tries hard enough." This is an additional mockery in this almost hopeless situation.
With his hand gesture (tsk, tsk, tsk), Jimmy shows us the recurring theme of choice and decision, which we have seen several times in the film:
Like in the second meeting, Eli's decision to take the Cube from Oskar's hand; in the fourth meeting, her decision to leave the backyard with Oskar; in Gösta's and Lacke's pre-decided choice between unpleasant activity („horrible interrogation methods“) or comfortable passivity; in Virginia's disappointed turning away from Lacke on the street; in Conny's decision to approach after Oskar's warning; in Eli's repeated decision for Oskar - entering his apartment uninvited and finally coming to his aid now; even in Conny's handing over of the keys to Jimmy.
Oskar, too, now has the choice of surrendering to Jimmy or fighting back.
Without Magister Avila he is alone and on his own. With him, his last hope for help and his connection to a friendly world vanished. He has nothing left to cling to. Defeat couldn't be more unconditional. He sees no way out and is at his end – highlighted by Conny's kick at the radio, which falls silent and sinks into the water, bubbling. Silence spreads. The moment Oskar voluntarily approaches Jimmy, his mind is already made up – he will not resurface.
Much like Virginia used the unwitting nurse to let sunlight into her room, Oskar "uses" the confident Jimmy to keep him underwater.
Jimmy: "Three minutes. Better take a deep breath. Five, four, three, two, one."
From the very beginning, Jimmy makes it clear why he's here with his spring knife: He's not just trying to intimidate Oskar or give him a choice. Jimmy has brought the knife with full intention and foresight, namely to definitely use it, not to wave it around indecisively or act out obsessive fantasies and throw it away at the crucial moment like Lacke or Oskar. He's clearly after violent revenge: an eye for an ear. He looks at Oskar coldly and without batting an eyelid.
Is all of this indeed real or just a big show?
It's very important to remind ourselves that everything is shown from Oskar's perspective; we see his perception. And he's convinced that Jimmy definitely means it - also visually represented by Jimmy's firm grip that Oskar feels in his hair.
Conny: "Jimmy . . . "
Jimmy: "Shut up!"
Martin: "Let's go, Conny."
Jimmy: "I told you to shut up!"
The warnings from Conny and Martin (inaudible to Oskar) tell a completely different story. Is Jimmy really planning to gouge out Oskar's eye or even drown him? This is Stockholm in 1982, not the dark ages. It's almost certain that the bullies are just planning to give Oskar a good scare. No one is here to seriously injure him or even commit murder!
However, Andreas, Conny, and Martin aren't quite sure whether Jimmy isn't going too far. He's been holding Oskar underwater for too long. They're starting to get restless and uneasy. Even Jimmy looks over at Conny, irritated. He's obviously waiting for Oskar to start kicking in fear, so he can pull him back to the surface a little later. But for some reason, he doesn't budge.
[It is likely that this fact is intended to remain hidden from the audience: This is a typical (Swedish?) two-part pool. The back section, with the diving board and the tower, is deep; the front section is very shallow and slopes gradually backwards to the edge, from where it gets deeper very quickly. Oskar could easily stand upright in his position and would only be in the water up to his waist, easily recognizable by the little girl climbing into the water via the ladder at the top left. The impression of greater depth is probably intended to be created by Oskar's constant flow of water into his open mouth as he strenuously performs his exercises.]
Ultimately, it doesn't matter what we believe. Oskar is convinced that the bullies are deadly serious and Eli believes it shortly afterward, too. The whole situation spirals completely out of control. Oskar quietly makes a momentous decision that no one knows about. Eli, who is invisibly monitoring the situation from outside, then makes an even more momentous decision.
Again we see a comparison - this time with Lacke's senseless death in the previous tenth meeting.
Without Lacke's death, everyone involved would have gone home with a real shock and Eli would have left (with or without Oskar). But Lacke has no idea of the true circumstances, he inadvertently puts Eli in danger and is (unnecessarily) brutally eliminated. Oskar watches over Eli.
Likewise, the bullies have no idea of the true circumstances (Oskar's desperate state), inadvertently putting him in danger with their evil prank and are also (unnecessarily) brutally eliminated. Eli watches over Oskar.
At first, she thinks the bullies have come here to intimidate Oskar and teach him a lesson - which was the original plan. Then she immediately senses that something is wrong and that Oskar's life is in real danger. He doesn't seem to be responding and Jimmy is still holding him underwater.
For Eli, Oskar symbolizes everything she has sought and fought for her entire life. She left him at their last meeting to protect him because she realized that she and he - a vampire and a human - would never be compatible. The brutal awakening from her pipe dream of becoming a human has convinced her that she has spent her entire life chasing the wrong goal and deluding herself. She is a murderous monster and will never belong on Oskar's side again.
The separation from him represents, so to speak, her third and greatest sacrifice. She is willing to give up her long-sought happiness to protect him from harm (but doesn't realize what that means to herself and him in doing so). But it also means that from now on, she has chosen a life as a solitary vampire. A relationship like the one with Oskar will never happen again for her. A new Håkan is needed, if at all.
The developing situation virtually forces Eli to make her final decision for or against Oskar. She can help him or simply walk away. (A rather theoretical and fairly clear choice for us.)
If she doesn't intervene, her dream will be over for good. With Oskar, everything she associates with him, everything she had hoped for and everything she has become through him, will symbolically die. If something should happen to Oskar now because of her passivity, then she too will cease to "exist." The being that remains may look like Eli, but it will be nothing more than a cold, emotionless shell, a nameless killer.
On the other hand, if she were to come to his aid now, then she would have to stay with him; then she would choose Oskar wholeheartedly. Leaving him again later would be even crueler than letting him die now.
But Eli wouldn't be here if Oskar meant nothing to her, if she didn't still have hope. And anyway, Oskar's death would be the opposite of what she originally wanted to prevent by separating.
(The children themselves most probably don't have any such thoughts. They simply do what they think is right. We as viewers can read as much into these actions as we want. The director also makes it more or less easy for us in this regard; it is his intention that everything has ambiguities and subtle symbolism.)
With a crash, she breaks through the huge window (barrier theme).
Eli can't distinguish whether the source of the danger is Oskar himself or Jimmy, nor would she even think of Oskar to commit suicide. She naturally assumes that Jimmy is more dangerous or stupid than she thought and that he's now actually or accidentally killing Oskar.
Based on her reaction to Oskar's report in the basement, we can imagine her panic in the face of his imminent danger. Her course of action is correspondingly radical, following the principle: cling together – swing together. All villains aligned with Jimmy are neutralized. Lucky Andreas is the only one who sits aside in the background early on, clearly doubtful, and is therefore spared.
This also explains why Jimmy is mutilated by Eli, seemingly for no reason. She goes to him first, because she sees him as the direct reason for Oskar's mortal danger. She carries his head and Martin with her and drops both in horror when she notices that Oskar isn't coming up. She immediately returns to the headless Jimmy and quickly severs his right arm, which appears to still be holding Oskar underwater with a firm grip. At the same time, we hear Conny's screams die down. Only when he still doesn't surface does she pull him out of the water herself.
Oskar didn't know what was happening up above and, until just a moment ago, was determined to die.
Likewise, Eli only now understands Oskar's state of mind, how serious the situation was from his perspective and what he was planning. She realizes that the separation was a mistake and that she thereby achieved the opposite of what she actually wanted to prevent. Searchingly she looks into his face.
Oskar looks up at her and smiles – despite the dead and carnage around him. We see – as he does – only her worried expression. Her blood-stained mouth remains invisible.
Eli's vampire dilemma is brought home to him twice (when she licks his blood and with Lacke's death). Both times, Oskar doesn't run away from her. He stays with her, thereby showing her affection, loyalty, trust - and his acceptance of the inevitable, terrible facts.
However, both times, Oskar also stands with his back to Eli, or rather, to her bloody mouth. This symbolizes not his rejection of her person, but rather his inner moral turmoil in the face of the inevitable cruelties. The thought that she is a murderer of necessity, guilty of the deaths of countless innocent people, haunts him. Eli is equally aware of this and has doubts – is she good enough for Oskar? Is she allowed to face him like this (with her flaw) or even stay with him? Is she worthy of his unconditional affection?
Almost all of the characters in the film have a choice: Lacke is only attached to his beloved suitcase of money, remains passive and pays the price for it; stinky Cat-Gösta may have just been lucky, but on closer inspection it doesn't matter if he dies or carries on as before; Conny was under Jimmy's control from the start and didn't even think about fighting back, even though it would have been possible; Virginia is too good for this world and very quickly decides to take the easy way out. Håkan has chosen the vampire option. He is deeply shocked by his second smile and remains undeterred on his path of the helpful, cold companion. Oskar begins to fight bravely and successfully, but despairs in the face of overwhelming odds and ultimately decides to do the same as Virginia.
Eli is the only person in the film who, for an eternity, has been determined to fight a seemingly hopeless battle for a good life, never giving up hope despite all the misfortune, even though her chances of success are minimal. Oskar's choice in the face of the superior Jimmy (to fight back or drown) is the same choice as Eli’s or Virginia's regarding their vampirism (to fight back or burn).
Eli was as desperate as Oskar in his situation – without family, no help in sight, abandoned by all friends, hopelessly outnumbered and surrounded by enemies. Just as Oskar was abused by the bullies for a long time and (possibly) was on the verge of being mutilated, this really happened to Eli. She involuntarily became an "evil" vampire, condemned to kill endlessly and to hide forever from humans and the sun. A seemingly hopeless situation. She is practically already dead and defeated – all she has to do is let go. But even in the face of this dark fate, she does not give up her resistance and clings tightly to her small shred of humanity.
Eli, Oskar and all the other characters can be compared on this level of decision-making. Ultimately, it doesn't matter whether bullies make your life hell or vampirism (or depression, disability, loneliness, poverty).
Initiative, an unyielding will to live, perseverance, unfailing hope and iron determination are the qualities that ultimately allow Eli to triumph.
She does what is necessary to survive and what no one else around her is willing to do. She has made the almost impossible decision for herself - not to end her life quickly and painlessly like Virginia or Oskar - but to continue and defend it, with a spark of hope and a small chance for happiness.
This is what Oskar had already seen during the mind meld, but only truly understands upon resurfacing and why he now looks into Eli's eyes with a smile (and ignores her bloody mouth and the massacre).
He has just experienced firsthand – only very briefly – everything Eli has had to experience her entire life: absolute loneliness, despair, and hopelessness in the face of sheer overwhelming odds. With death as sweet release, the only tempting way out. He, like Virginia, immediately chose suicide. Eli did not.
Now, after she has pulled him out of the water, he realizes that Eli is indeed superhuman – not because of her physical strength or her supernatural abilities. She is superhuman in her relentless fight for her right to live in happiness and peace (and not just to survive), no matter the cost. She is defending her life, just as she just defended his life and everything associated with it.
What Eli apparently wasn't aware of at all (but perhaps now is): With this course of action, she is surpassing every human ideal she aspired to. She has already overshot her own goal - to become truly human.
All that remains of her sullied mouth are a few bloody splatters on her face. She has become pure and innocent like Virginia and now it is Oskar who adores her, because for him, Eli (like Jocke for Lacke) is "the nicest, kindest person you can imagine."
She returns his smile and everything is clear. She came back for him, for her happiness, and she won't leave without him.
The princess ultimately rescued the champion, thus breaking her curse. The prince has passed his trials and proven that he is the right one for her. She has also (perhaps unconsciously) restored the disturbed balance of power in the kingdom of Blackeberg – three "good" people (Jocke, Virginia, Lacke) died because of her and three "bad guys" now lie dead on the ground. Afterward, she takes her lover by the hand and disappears with him from the battlefield, in keeping with the film's child's perspective: leaving the uninteresting and indifferent world behind. Both embark on their own exciting journeys. Happily ever after.
Transition Scene
Snow is falling as in the beginning, but we no longer hear the trickling sound of thousands of sharp, tiny ice crystals and the disappearing train in the distance. Instead, we hear a gentle melody and the sound of a train approaching.
Epilogue
The epilogue really only reassures us of what the director showed with the end of the finale (the second fake ending).
Instead of just hearing a train rattling in the distance - a familiar sound in Blackeberg and a symbol of Oskar's longing to disappear - both children are now sitting in one themselves.
Instead of having them travel during the night, like Eli and Håkan upon their arrival, the director now chooses bright daylight.
In the taxi, Eli sat visibly (with her back to us), all in black, lost in thought and humming to herself. She ignored the silently smiling Håkan, who was very pleased with her condition. [Here I must correct my previous assumption. He isn't smiling "with" her, but the meaning remains the same.]
Now on the train, she lies, as an intentional paradox, invisible and "inaudible" in her box like a classic vampire. The crucial difference is that both children are thinking of each other and communicating with each other: "Kiss" – "Little Kiss". They are facing each other. There's an invisible, intimate connection between them. (Taking this idea to its extreme, it ultimately doesn't matter who's in the box. Whether young or old, girl or boy - the connection exists on an independent level and could apply to any of us.)
Even if Håkan could decipher the Morse code, he would never understand the meaning behind this exchange. Oskar smiles at Eli in the box for completely different reasons and he knows that she is wearing her red dress and is smiling at him in the same way.
Cheers from Dietz
Just as Eli's bloody mouth was the central theme in the last meeting, it is now her invisible mouth that represents the focal point of the finale and the end point of the entire story.
Just as in the previous meeting, we must rely on the previous plot, our own reflections and the visuals to explain what the director is trying to tell us. This time, there is plenty of dialogue again, but as if in an escalation from the last meeting, the two main characters, Eli and Oskar, no longer speak to each other at all. Everything between them takes place on a subtle, symbolic level. We are forced to draw our conclusions from comparisons and past developments, all of which converge here, at the end.
From the fairy tale perspective, exactly what we described at the beginning happened at the previous meeting. The prince has passed all his tests with flying colors and now wishes to take his beloved home with him. Instead, she is unfairly withheld and taken away from him. He is given one final, impossible task that he simply must (and should) fail. This additional test isn't really meant for him, but for the princess. For her, it's actually a piece of cake - the only question is, can she overcome her doubts and rush to her champion's aid?
A) The boy must return to his former home.
The director does a great job here. The woman who opens the door for Oskar is strange and unsympathetic: dressed in ugly brown clothes, with an angry, contorted face, a battle-axe. There's nothing left to remind him of the young, pretty mother before his departure - she seems to have aged 20 years. Like the boy, we hear nothing of her unimportant nagging. He locks all the doors behind him, including the doors of his toy cars - in his endless grief (soundtrack), he is insensitive to this old, unimportant surroundings, which he had long since come to terms with and which he so desperately hoped to leave behind with Eli. All his dreams have evaporated. Like Eli, the events have struck him like a sudden disaster. Happiness and hope turn into disappointment and despair.
Later, he reads the newspaper article about the unknown dead man in the ice, but doesn't cut it out. His initial gesture toward the scissors, which he then abandons, and his simultaneous reflection in the mirror illustrate his realization, comparable to throwing away his knife. He realizes that his violent fantasies weren't the only result of the school bullying. The bullies' machinations have influenced and damaged him more deeply than he realized.
By chance, he witnesses Eli's departure. Her taxi disappears irretrievably behind the next row of houses. No one comes back to pick him up. This short scene has a dual meaning regarding the interpretation of Eli's disappearance. On the one hand, this depiction means that with the car, Oskar's last hope vanishes into the distance. On the other hand, this now WHITE taxi also signifies the decisive change in Eli and our secret hope for a good end. Just like himself, she too has become a different person than the one who arrived at the very beginning in the black taxi, humming along, silently let Håkan open the door and walked up to the apartment alone in complete darkness.
B) The girl's empty apartment
...and the cleared table are irrefutable proof that Eli was indeed in the taxi and left. The director clearly wants to tell us this fact. And here, too, a double interpretation is possible. The table could, of course, represent the „end point“ to the first "false ending," as suggested in the English audio commentary. At the same time, however, it also represents something else: Eli's watchful eye and protective hand over Oskar, the sharp gaze on his enemies, which was already presented to us shortly before the eighth meeting outside the huge window at the swimming pool.
C) The boy is alone again.
A repetition of the opening scene at the window: Oskar places his warm hand on the cold windowpane – this time in a much more haunting close-up, reflecting his pain, which is twice as intense as at the beginning of the film: the returned loneliness, the grief over the loss and the certainty that there is someone out there who is perfect for him.
His handprint on the glass evaporates, similar to his future plans, hopes and wishes. The following short scene in the backyard, which is of course not an editing error by the director but was intentionally placed there, works in a similar way. The children running away in the background represent Oskar's bittersweet memories and the shattered dream of escaping this terrible life together, which now belongs to the past. Only the abandoned Jungle Gym, the site of their first meeting, remains.
Transition Scene
Instead of red rose hips and green leaves, as in the transition scene to the hopeful third meeting, we now see a dead and frozen winter landscape. No singing birds, instead cars rushing past on the distant highway.
D) The boy back on the hard ground of reality.
Like Lacke without Virginia, Oskar is lost in this world without Eli. Not only is he exactly where he was at the beginning - it's now much, much worse. Not only has his nose started running again (with all the consequent meaning), but he's standing at the window crying, inconsolable and devastated. He had renounced his old, indifferent world, his parents and his home and placed all his hopes and expectations in Eli. He had relied on her completely. After her departure, he now finds himself - much like Lacke after Virginia's death - facing nothing.
Even the ringing telephone doesn't revive him. He slowly goes to it, picks up the receiver and remains silent. He is shrouded in darkness and is just "a shadow of himself." His answers are monosyllabic and listless - Oskar has abandoned all hope.
The "tongue play" symbolizes the insidious snake on the other end of the line - he knows what to think of Martin. Martin is no friend, but he disguises himself well enough to dispel Oskar's doubts (he's scratching the tip of his nose). At least Oskar seems to be wondering why he's calling him and wants to meet at the indoor pool. There's only one straw left for Oskar to cling to, his last glimmer of hope in this conversation - the well-disposed Magister Avila and his training.
Just as Oskar doesn't know where Eli is or what she's doing, we don't learn anything about her either and it's actually unnecessary, because we can already guess what's wrong with her. Eli feels just as bad as he does. Just as Oskar's runny nose has reappeared, her red dress will turn back into a white blouse. Just as Oskar certainly didn't last night, she won't be able to sleep in her new home today and will be slumped in a bathtub, just like back then when she was facing the wall to Oskar's apartment.
eleventh meeting - in the Swimming Pool (Finale + Epilogue)
As already noted in the article about the fifth meeting, Magister Avila is far too busy with his tasks and distracted by other things to notice what's happening around him and what's going on with Oskar (perhaps he doesn't really want to – audio commentary). He doesn't see Martin standing to his left as he passes, nor does he later notice Jimmy lurking to his right.
Martin's treacherous betrayal of Oskar, his temporary, friendly, smirk-inducing fake replacement for Avila, was essentially already foreshadowed in the brief swimming pool scene before the eighth meeting in the "forbidden" basement. Oskar doesn't suspect anything and is pleased with the positive development.
Eli's presence was also hinted at. We can safely assume that she has been glued to the window pane outside for a long time, observing everything very closely.
There was a lot of discussion in the forum about why she appears at the swimming pool at exactly the right time and whether it's a coincidence or whether she might be clairvoyant or have some kind of telepathic connection with Oskar, etc. One suggested explanation would be very realistic and (at least to me) crystal clear.
Let's put ourselves in Eli's shoes again and recall the summary of the last meeting: Both children are one and the same when Eli suddenly has to separate from Oskar. Does this mean that she will now simply leave him to his fate and go on her way unmoved? After everything we've learned about the children? Absolutely unlikely.
Eli is a desperately sad, yearning and lonely vampire. She has spent years piecing together her unimportant puzzle egg. Time is irrelevant. Money is irrelevant. Oskar is the Alpha and Omega of her life – compared to Lacke and his ridiculous briefcase.
After the evening of her departure, her personal dream may have been dashed, but nevertheless (as before) she has only one thing on her mind: If necessary, she will move heaven and earth and watch over Oskar until he dies of old age, to prevent anything from happening to him. Unlike Lacke in the morning hospital, she doesn't sit around passively, "sleeping through" her partner's invisible and dangerous situation on the other side. Of course, she's very close to Oskar and won't be too late to come in and save him.
Jimmy's appearance is a reminder of the spiraling violence between Oskar and the bullies throughout the story:
At the beginning, Oskar is terrified, backs away, closes his eyes, and lets everything happen to him. Conny only uses his index finger, smiling (00:06:25).
During the second encounter, Oskar stands firm and doesn't back down, looks his tormentor in the eye and no longer shows any fear. Conny stays in the background and lets his two helpers, Andreas and Martin, now with a small stick, do the dirty work (bloody scratch, 00:35:50).
The third time, Oskar goes after the perpetrators. He has become stronger and braver and is therefore no longer personally attacked, but rather bullied insidiously and indirectly (00:49:30).
The fourth time, Oskar has the even bigger stick and the courage to defend himself. He warns the bullies and faces them resolutely. Additionally, students are milling around everywhere and teachers are present. Andreas and Martin stand intimidated in the background (excuse: "Avila will freak out..."). Conny is forced, for better or worse, to take the initiative himself in order not to lose face as leader, but is miserably defeated (bleeding ear, 01:02:00).
In the fifth and final encounter, Oskar (weakened by his loss, Martin's betrayal and Avila's absence) is trapped alone and helpless. The previously inactive "boss" Jimmy appears, armed with a dangerous-looking knife and wants to put Oskar in his place - permanently.
The logical continuation of the escalation leads us to fear the worst for Oskar.
Jimmy: "Do you know who I am?"
Oskar: "Yes. . ."
The balance of power and the inevitability between Oskar and Jimmy are made clear by the camera perspective. Jimmy towers over Oskar and takes up almost the entire left half of the frame. He casually looks down at Oskar, who, almost naked, defenseless and tiny, crouches in the water in front of him, looking fearfully up at Jimmy.
Strengthened by thoughtless followers like Andreas, spineless traitors like Martin and blackmailed or fanatical supporters like Conny, Jimmy is capable of gaining almost limitless power and exerting uncontrolled violence. The corrective is missing – in the form of the absent, inadequate and inattentive Magister Avila.
Jimmy: "Good. Then you get it. We're going to have a little contest. You stay underwater . . . for three minutes. If you can do it, I'll just nick you. But if you can't, I'll poke one of your eyes out. An eye for an ear, right?"
Oskar: "But that's impossible."
Jimmy: "That's your problem."
By giving Oskar the apparent choice between an impossible way out or the use of bloody violence, the final sentence, the decision for revenge, is already predetermined.
This isn't a choice but a means to further torment Oskar! He is held underwater by force (Jimmy's firm grip) and, out of fear of the "real" threatened violence, is even supposed to try to stay underwater as long as possible.
Oskar's objection of impossibility is rejected. This is proof that Oskar's "choice" is merely a pretext for Jimmy's true, violent intentions. Jimmy pretends that everything is fair and that the hapless or lenient outcome depends solely on Oskar. He thus shifts the blame for the inevitable violence onto the victim himself: Oskar could supposedly prevent everything if he just "tries hard enough." This is an additional mockery in this almost hopeless situation.
With his hand gesture (tsk, tsk, tsk), Jimmy shows us the recurring theme of choice and decision, which we have seen several times in the film:
Like in the second meeting, Eli's decision to take the Cube from Oskar's hand; in the fourth meeting, her decision to leave the backyard with Oskar; in Gösta's and Lacke's pre-decided choice between unpleasant activity („horrible interrogation methods“) or comfortable passivity; in Virginia's disappointed turning away from Lacke on the street; in Conny's decision to approach after Oskar's warning; in Eli's repeated decision for Oskar - entering his apartment uninvited and finally coming to his aid now; even in Conny's handing over of the keys to Jimmy.
Oskar, too, now has the choice of surrendering to Jimmy or fighting back.
Without Magister Avila he is alone and on his own. With him, his last hope for help and his connection to a friendly world vanished. He has nothing left to cling to. Defeat couldn't be more unconditional. He sees no way out and is at his end – highlighted by Conny's kick at the radio, which falls silent and sinks into the water, bubbling. Silence spreads. The moment Oskar voluntarily approaches Jimmy, his mind is already made up – he will not resurface.
Much like Virginia used the unwitting nurse to let sunlight into her room, Oskar "uses" the confident Jimmy to keep him underwater.
Jimmy: "Three minutes. Better take a deep breath. Five, four, three, two, one."
From the very beginning, Jimmy makes it clear why he's here with his spring knife: He's not just trying to intimidate Oskar or give him a choice. Jimmy has brought the knife with full intention and foresight, namely to definitely use it, not to wave it around indecisively or act out obsessive fantasies and throw it away at the crucial moment like Lacke or Oskar. He's clearly after violent revenge: an eye for an ear. He looks at Oskar coldly and without batting an eyelid.
Is all of this indeed real or just a big show?
It's very important to remind ourselves that everything is shown from Oskar's perspective; we see his perception. And he's convinced that Jimmy definitely means it - also visually represented by Jimmy's firm grip that Oskar feels in his hair.
Conny: "Jimmy . . . "
Jimmy: "Shut up!"
Martin: "Let's go, Conny."
Jimmy: "I told you to shut up!"
The warnings from Conny and Martin (inaudible to Oskar) tell a completely different story. Is Jimmy really planning to gouge out Oskar's eye or even drown him? This is Stockholm in 1982, not the dark ages. It's almost certain that the bullies are just planning to give Oskar a good scare. No one is here to seriously injure him or even commit murder!
However, Andreas, Conny, and Martin aren't quite sure whether Jimmy isn't going too far. He's been holding Oskar underwater for too long. They're starting to get restless and uneasy. Even Jimmy looks over at Conny, irritated. He's obviously waiting for Oskar to start kicking in fear, so he can pull him back to the surface a little later. But for some reason, he doesn't budge.
[It is likely that this fact is intended to remain hidden from the audience: This is a typical (Swedish?) two-part pool. The back section, with the diving board and the tower, is deep; the front section is very shallow and slopes gradually backwards to the edge, from where it gets deeper very quickly. Oskar could easily stand upright in his position and would only be in the water up to his waist, easily recognizable by the little girl climbing into the water via the ladder at the top left. The impression of greater depth is probably intended to be created by Oskar's constant flow of water into his open mouth as he strenuously performs his exercises.]
Ultimately, it doesn't matter what we believe. Oskar is convinced that the bullies are deadly serious and Eli believes it shortly afterward, too. The whole situation spirals completely out of control. Oskar quietly makes a momentous decision that no one knows about. Eli, who is invisibly monitoring the situation from outside, then makes an even more momentous decision.
Again we see a comparison - this time with Lacke's senseless death in the previous tenth meeting.
Without Lacke's death, everyone involved would have gone home with a real shock and Eli would have left (with or without Oskar). But Lacke has no idea of the true circumstances, he inadvertently puts Eli in danger and is (unnecessarily) brutally eliminated. Oskar watches over Eli.
Likewise, the bullies have no idea of the true circumstances (Oskar's desperate state), inadvertently putting him in danger with their evil prank and are also (unnecessarily) brutally eliminated. Eli watches over Oskar.
At first, she thinks the bullies have come here to intimidate Oskar and teach him a lesson - which was the original plan. Then she immediately senses that something is wrong and that Oskar's life is in real danger. He doesn't seem to be responding and Jimmy is still holding him underwater.
For Eli, Oskar symbolizes everything she has sought and fought for her entire life. She left him at their last meeting to protect him because she realized that she and he - a vampire and a human - would never be compatible. The brutal awakening from her pipe dream of becoming a human has convinced her that she has spent her entire life chasing the wrong goal and deluding herself. She is a murderous monster and will never belong on Oskar's side again.
The separation from him represents, so to speak, her third and greatest sacrifice. She is willing to give up her long-sought happiness to protect him from harm (but doesn't realize what that means to herself and him in doing so). But it also means that from now on, she has chosen a life as a solitary vampire. A relationship like the one with Oskar will never happen again for her. A new Håkan is needed, if at all.
The developing situation virtually forces Eli to make her final decision for or against Oskar. She can help him or simply walk away. (A rather theoretical and fairly clear choice for us.)
If she doesn't intervene, her dream will be over for good. With Oskar, everything she associates with him, everything she had hoped for and everything she has become through him, will symbolically die. If something should happen to Oskar now because of her passivity, then she too will cease to "exist." The being that remains may look like Eli, but it will be nothing more than a cold, emotionless shell, a nameless killer.
On the other hand, if she were to come to his aid now, then she would have to stay with him; then she would choose Oskar wholeheartedly. Leaving him again later would be even crueler than letting him die now.
But Eli wouldn't be here if Oskar meant nothing to her, if she didn't still have hope. And anyway, Oskar's death would be the opposite of what she originally wanted to prevent by separating.
(The children themselves most probably don't have any such thoughts. They simply do what they think is right. We as viewers can read as much into these actions as we want. The director also makes it more or less easy for us in this regard; it is his intention that everything has ambiguities and subtle symbolism.)
With a crash, she breaks through the huge window (barrier theme).
Eli can't distinguish whether the source of the danger is Oskar himself or Jimmy, nor would she even think of Oskar to commit suicide. She naturally assumes that Jimmy is more dangerous or stupid than she thought and that he's now actually or accidentally killing Oskar.
Based on her reaction to Oskar's report in the basement, we can imagine her panic in the face of his imminent danger. Her course of action is correspondingly radical, following the principle: cling together – swing together. All villains aligned with Jimmy are neutralized. Lucky Andreas is the only one who sits aside in the background early on, clearly doubtful, and is therefore spared.
This also explains why Jimmy is mutilated by Eli, seemingly for no reason. She goes to him first, because she sees him as the direct reason for Oskar's mortal danger. She carries his head and Martin with her and drops both in horror when she notices that Oskar isn't coming up. She immediately returns to the headless Jimmy and quickly severs his right arm, which appears to still be holding Oskar underwater with a firm grip. At the same time, we hear Conny's screams die down. Only when he still doesn't surface does she pull him out of the water herself.
Oskar didn't know what was happening up above and, until just a moment ago, was determined to die.
Likewise, Eli only now understands Oskar's state of mind, how serious the situation was from his perspective and what he was planning. She realizes that the separation was a mistake and that she thereby achieved the opposite of what she actually wanted to prevent. Searchingly she looks into his face.
Oskar looks up at her and smiles – despite the dead and carnage around him. We see – as he does – only her worried expression. Her blood-stained mouth remains invisible.
Eli's vampire dilemma is brought home to him twice (when she licks his blood and with Lacke's death). Both times, Oskar doesn't run away from her. He stays with her, thereby showing her affection, loyalty, trust - and his acceptance of the inevitable, terrible facts.
However, both times, Oskar also stands with his back to Eli, or rather, to her bloody mouth. This symbolizes not his rejection of her person, but rather his inner moral turmoil in the face of the inevitable cruelties. The thought that she is a murderer of necessity, guilty of the deaths of countless innocent people, haunts him. Eli is equally aware of this and has doubts – is she good enough for Oskar? Is she allowed to face him like this (with her flaw) or even stay with him? Is she worthy of his unconditional affection?
Almost all of the characters in the film have a choice: Lacke is only attached to his beloved suitcase of money, remains passive and pays the price for it; stinky Cat-Gösta may have just been lucky, but on closer inspection it doesn't matter if he dies or carries on as before; Conny was under Jimmy's control from the start and didn't even think about fighting back, even though it would have been possible; Virginia is too good for this world and very quickly decides to take the easy way out. Håkan has chosen the vampire option. He is deeply shocked by his second smile and remains undeterred on his path of the helpful, cold companion. Oskar begins to fight bravely and successfully, but despairs in the face of overwhelming odds and ultimately decides to do the same as Virginia.
Eli is the only person in the film who, for an eternity, has been determined to fight a seemingly hopeless battle for a good life, never giving up hope despite all the misfortune, even though her chances of success are minimal. Oskar's choice in the face of the superior Jimmy (to fight back or drown) is the same choice as Eli’s or Virginia's regarding their vampirism (to fight back or burn).
Eli was as desperate as Oskar in his situation – without family, no help in sight, abandoned by all friends, hopelessly outnumbered and surrounded by enemies. Just as Oskar was abused by the bullies for a long time and (possibly) was on the verge of being mutilated, this really happened to Eli. She involuntarily became an "evil" vampire, condemned to kill endlessly and to hide forever from humans and the sun. A seemingly hopeless situation. She is practically already dead and defeated – all she has to do is let go. But even in the face of this dark fate, she does not give up her resistance and clings tightly to her small shred of humanity.
Eli, Oskar and all the other characters can be compared on this level of decision-making. Ultimately, it doesn't matter whether bullies make your life hell or vampirism (or depression, disability, loneliness, poverty).
Initiative, an unyielding will to live, perseverance, unfailing hope and iron determination are the qualities that ultimately allow Eli to triumph.
She does what is necessary to survive and what no one else around her is willing to do. She has made the almost impossible decision for herself - not to end her life quickly and painlessly like Virginia or Oskar - but to continue and defend it, with a spark of hope and a small chance for happiness.
This is what Oskar had already seen during the mind meld, but only truly understands upon resurfacing and why he now looks into Eli's eyes with a smile (and ignores her bloody mouth and the massacre).
He has just experienced firsthand – only very briefly – everything Eli has had to experience her entire life: absolute loneliness, despair, and hopelessness in the face of sheer overwhelming odds. With death as sweet release, the only tempting way out. He, like Virginia, immediately chose suicide. Eli did not.
Now, after she has pulled him out of the water, he realizes that Eli is indeed superhuman – not because of her physical strength or her supernatural abilities. She is superhuman in her relentless fight for her right to live in happiness and peace (and not just to survive), no matter the cost. She is defending her life, just as she just defended his life and everything associated with it.
What Eli apparently wasn't aware of at all (but perhaps now is): With this course of action, she is surpassing every human ideal she aspired to. She has already overshot her own goal - to become truly human.
All that remains of her sullied mouth are a few bloody splatters on her face. She has become pure and innocent like Virginia and now it is Oskar who adores her, because for him, Eli (like Jocke for Lacke) is "the nicest, kindest person you can imagine."
She returns his smile and everything is clear. She came back for him, for her happiness, and she won't leave without him.
The princess ultimately rescued the champion, thus breaking her curse. The prince has passed his trials and proven that he is the right one for her. She has also (perhaps unconsciously) restored the disturbed balance of power in the kingdom of Blackeberg – three "good" people (Jocke, Virginia, Lacke) died because of her and three "bad guys" now lie dead on the ground. Afterward, she takes her lover by the hand and disappears with him from the battlefield, in keeping with the film's child's perspective: leaving the uninteresting and indifferent world behind. Both embark on their own exciting journeys. Happily ever after.
Transition Scene
Snow is falling as in the beginning, but we no longer hear the trickling sound of thousands of sharp, tiny ice crystals and the disappearing train in the distance. Instead, we hear a gentle melody and the sound of a train approaching.
Epilogue
The epilogue really only reassures us of what the director showed with the end of the finale (the second fake ending).
Instead of just hearing a train rattling in the distance - a familiar sound in Blackeberg and a symbol of Oskar's longing to disappear - both children are now sitting in one themselves.
Instead of having them travel during the night, like Eli and Håkan upon their arrival, the director now chooses bright daylight.
In the taxi, Eli sat visibly (with her back to us), all in black, lost in thought and humming to herself. She ignored the silently smiling Håkan, who was very pleased with her condition. [Here I must correct my previous assumption. He isn't smiling "with" her, but the meaning remains the same.]
Now on the train, she lies, as an intentional paradox, invisible and "inaudible" in her box like a classic vampire. The crucial difference is that both children are thinking of each other and communicating with each other: "Kiss" – "Little Kiss". They are facing each other. There's an invisible, intimate connection between them. (Taking this idea to its extreme, it ultimately doesn't matter who's in the box. Whether young or old, girl or boy - the connection exists on an independent level and could apply to any of us.)
Even if Håkan could decipher the Morse code, he would never understand the meaning behind this exchange. Oskar smiles at Eli in the box for completely different reasons and he knows that she is wearing her red dress and is smiling at him in the same way.
Cheers from Dietz
Last edited by Dietz on Mon Jul 07, 2025 12:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: A very late and un-timely review by myself / Let The Right One In - Film Analysis
Congratulations on reaching the finish line on this, while maintaining the same level of quality the whole way through. Think your point about Eli being at his most human after the pool is interesting, since on a literal level it's of course the opposite: him at his most monstrous of any point in the film. I don't personally agree with your conclusion about that, but as always you make a thorough enough argument for a different lens through which to view things that it's worth considering both once and twice.
De höll om varandra i tystnad. Oskar blundade och visste: detta var det största. Ljuset från lyktan i portvalvet trängde svagt in genom hans slutna ögonlock, la en hinna av rött för hans ögon. Det största.
Re: A very late and un-timely review by myself / Let The Right One In - Film Analysis
Thank you again for your message Siggdalos.
Hmm. I would agree with you if you had used the word "violent" instead of "monstrous."
In my opinion, this point is particularly important for the director. It is, so to speak, his main concern in the film. I think he's trying to show us that Eli is at her most monstrous (most vampire-like) state at the very beginning, when she arrives at Blackeberg with Håkan, and at her most human when she leaves with Oskar (the quasi-incarnation of anti-Håkan).
He's trying to resolve the fundamental, classic vampire dilemma (the vampiric "original sin" of murder, the inherent guilt and the virtually cast-in-stone role of the "evil" vampire) and show us that affection can truly erase all differences (in our case, between the children). Perhaps I should have explored this point a little more closely.
In principle, we can compare Eli's actions and decisions at the end with Oskar's earlier blood brotherhood scene.
Oskar's revenge knife represents his "problem/symptom" in this film, similar to Eli's vampiristic compulsion to kill.
Ironically, the only person Oskar injures with his knife is himself, to show Eli his feelings for her. He does something he would never do to anyone else. (He dreams of unspeakable fantasies of violence, but would never be able to act on them.) He hates violence, whether inflicted on himself or on others.
Eli feels the same way. Killing people is an unimaginably cruel act, which has lost none of its abhorrence for her in her long life. Like Oskar uses his hated knife, she "uses" her hated vampirism to send three people from life to death. An act through which she also severely injures herself. Until now, murder had only been an option for her in extreme emergencies, only for her own survival – and only against one person at a time!
Exactly that decision at the pool in it's magnitude, visually expressed through (the results of) an extreme level of violence compared to the earlier instances, makes it clear to us how important that moment is for her (and the director) and it shows us in a comparable way what is going on emotionally inside her. The same goes for Oskar in the basement scene: He wants to show his overflowing feelings for Eli and cuts himself excessively and exaggeratedly across his entire left palm, even though a small prick in one finger would have been completely sufficient.
She is willing to do whatever is necessary to preserve her other half. It shows us how valuable Oskar is to her. She didn't plan anything, like with Jocke for instance or like Oskar with his knife, she had to decide within a second and only a little later it becomes clear that the deaths were (unfortunately and most likely) unnecessary.
I don't think Eli is acting monstrously in any way here; quite the opposite - she's practically overflowing with emotions: she's full of fear for Oskar, full of anger at the bottomless injustice being done to him, full of passion for him, her everything. In this, she's no different in the slightest from Oskar himself, who doesn't want to live without her.
Cheers from Dietz
Hmm. I would agree with you if you had used the word "violent" instead of "monstrous."
In my opinion, this point is particularly important for the director. It is, so to speak, his main concern in the film. I think he's trying to show us that Eli is at her most monstrous (most vampire-like) state at the very beginning, when she arrives at Blackeberg with Håkan, and at her most human when she leaves with Oskar (the quasi-incarnation of anti-Håkan).
He's trying to resolve the fundamental, classic vampire dilemma (the vampiric "original sin" of murder, the inherent guilt and the virtually cast-in-stone role of the "evil" vampire) and show us that affection can truly erase all differences (in our case, between the children). Perhaps I should have explored this point a little more closely.
In principle, we can compare Eli's actions and decisions at the end with Oskar's earlier blood brotherhood scene.
Oskar's revenge knife represents his "problem/symptom" in this film, similar to Eli's vampiristic compulsion to kill.
Ironically, the only person Oskar injures with his knife is himself, to show Eli his feelings for her. He does something he would never do to anyone else. (He dreams of unspeakable fantasies of violence, but would never be able to act on them.) He hates violence, whether inflicted on himself or on others.
Eli feels the same way. Killing people is an unimaginably cruel act, which has lost none of its abhorrence for her in her long life. Like Oskar uses his hated knife, she "uses" her hated vampirism to send three people from life to death. An act through which she also severely injures herself. Until now, murder had only been an option for her in extreme emergencies, only for her own survival – and only against one person at a time!
Exactly that decision at the pool in it's magnitude, visually expressed through (the results of) an extreme level of violence compared to the earlier instances, makes it clear to us how important that moment is for her (and the director) and it shows us in a comparable way what is going on emotionally inside her. The same goes for Oskar in the basement scene: He wants to show his overflowing feelings for Eli and cuts himself excessively and exaggeratedly across his entire left palm, even though a small prick in one finger would have been completely sufficient.
She is willing to do whatever is necessary to preserve her other half. It shows us how valuable Oskar is to her. She didn't plan anything, like with Jocke for instance or like Oskar with his knife, she had to decide within a second and only a little later it becomes clear that the deaths were (unfortunately and most likely) unnecessary.
I don't think Eli is acting monstrously in any way here; quite the opposite - she's practically overflowing with emotions: she's full of fear for Oskar, full of anger at the bottomless injustice being done to him, full of passion for him, her everything. In this, she's no different in the slightest from Oskar himself, who doesn't want to live without her.
Cheers from Dietz