Let the Right One In (spoilers will be marked)

[Mojo Pin]

Tried to search for it, but all the words get filtered out by the engine :smack:. Anyway, how freaking amazing is this movie?! I saw this great movie for the first time yesterday and I'm off to Amazon to buy the DVD. I can't stop thinking about it, and I'm curious to hear thoughts on my questions: what was the silver briefcase Lacke was carrying around all the time? also, do you think Oskar will become the next hitman/blood gatherer for Eli? Did Eli pick up the first man in the same way--by befriending him as a boy? And what the heck was with the crotch shot of Eli?If you haven't seen the movie, you must.

[Nicest of the Damned]

Apparently the book explains things more clearly. I haven't read it but:

Re: The crotch shot...the "girl" is actually a boy (remember how "she" says several times "I'm not a girl"?). He had his boy parts cut off (I think by the keeper-man).

I have read some complaints that the DVD has new subtitles that are inferior to the ones in the theatrical release.

[FriarTed]

Apparently the book explains things more clearly. I haven't read it but:

Re: The crotch shot...the "girl" is actually a boy (remember how "she" says several times "I'm not a girl"?). He had his boy parts cut off (I think by the keeper-man

I have read some complaints that the DVD has new subtitles that are inferior to the ones in the theatrical release.


Actually it was by the vampire aristocrat who turned Eli into a vampire. It's explained in the book & came up here in another discussion of it.

[Mojo Pin]

Awesome. Looks like I'll have to read the book (didn't know there was one).
Ok, the Eli being a boy adds a whole other dimension to this...I had no freaking idea! I thought the crotch shot was supposed to show a little pubic hair or something... I can hardly make sense of their relationship now.
What are people's thoughts on the final scene? Are the killings justified? Why was the fat kid left alive?

[SaharaTea]

do you think Oskar will become the next hitman/blood gatherer for Eli? Did Eli pick up the first man in the same way--by befriending him as a boy?
Yes, Oskar was Eli's new blood gatherer/caretaker. I'm curious as to whether people think he resigned himself to the same fate as her previous caretaker. The first guy was obviously not very good at his job...killing people in the middle of a public park? Oskar seems like he would be a better killer. But Oskar will grow old and Eli won't - eventually she'll have pick up someone new, and the cycle continues.

[Hamlet]

Apparently the book explains things more clearly. I haven't read it but:

Re: The crotch shot...the "girl" is actually a boy (remember how "she" says several times "I'm not a girl"?). He had his boy parts cut off (I think by the keeper-man).

I have read some complaints that the DVD has new subtitles that are inferior to the ones in the theatrical release.I just saw this movie this weekend, and boy did I miss that part of it.

Possible spoilers:

I really liked the movie, but I had two small complaints about it. First, I never got into the pacing of the movie. It seemed ... odd ... to me. I was onboard at first, with the slow pacing with not much happening beyond character development, and then sudden, fast actions occurring during interesting times, and then back to the slow pacing. But toward the middle and end of the film, I found that kind of pacing was too jarring, and then it seemed to be completely abandoned and instead turned to a kind of mush of stuff. I'm not sure I'm being clear (actually I'm pretty sure I'm not), but the pacing never really agreed with me.

Second, I didn't like the choice to make Eli so ... mysterious. From the big reveal that I didn't get, to Eli's backstory, to Eli's length of time undead, to Eli's actual motivations (does Eli actually like Oskar or Eli's first caretaker?, is it just a parasitical relationship?, is Eli capable of emotions or just emotional manipulation, etc.) Since Eli was a major character and was supposed to be compelling, I thought hiding so much of the character's development was a misstep. There was a ton of stuff that could have been done to make Eli and the movie, much more interesting. I also didn't see Oskar's character expanding too much and there was more meat there I would have liked to see develop.

Still, it was a very enjoyable, tough to pigeonhole movie that I would have no problem recommending.

[randwill]

This was my favorite film of last year.

Lacke's briefcase contained his father's stamp collection. He takes out one of the stamp's and talks about how much it is worth at Virginia's hospital bedside.

It seems unlikely that Oskar will become Eli's next food provider. To me, the film shows that he is incapable of killing Lacke even when Lacke is in the bathroom threatening to kill Eli. After Eli takes care of Lacke, the director shows Oskar dropping his knife, implying that he doesn't really have the will for murder. It seems unlikely he would be a good food provider for Eli. He is a timid, skinny 12 year-old, after all.

Although the film doesn't tell us, the book reveals that Eli met Hakan (her companion) only a short time before the story starts. He is a disgraced former school teacher who is a pedophile.

My interpretation is that the relationship between Eli and Oskar is nothing like that of her and Hakan. Everything about the way she treats Hakan and Oskar is different. I believe Oskar is the first true friend Eli has made in 200 years. There is a genuine connection between them. That Eli came back, at great risk to herself, to save Oskar implies a commitment on her part that is unexpected and touching.

[Captain Lance Murdoch]

This is one of the things I liked about this movie. These are questions that do not have apparent answers. The movie leaves you with a lot to churn over in your mind after you have seen it.

I loved so much about the movie. They leave out so many vampire cliches. They don't even show fangs in the movie. The characters are rich. The cinematography was terrific. The girl's performance was great. My favorite of her moments was when we see the look of terror on her face after Oskar cuts his hand. It was critical moment in the film, but it was handled very subtly.

[Frylock]

The thing you randwill noted about how in the book, Eli had just met the old man a few months before[/b] certainly makes the plot look very different than what I had supposed. But looking at the movie independently of the book, it does seem clearly to portray [spoiler]Oskar as just another in a long line of hunters/partners. Sure Oskar hasn't been able to kill yet, but he's definitely shown a desire to kill so it seems likely all it will take is opportunity and practice. Eli's actions seemed clearly to be designed to make Oskar feel both grateful and dependent, and to make him measure his own value by the value she appears to place on him.

[Mojo Pin]

Thanks for the answers and input everyone.
randwill, I like your interpretation. Taking the movie at face value (ignoring the truth about Hakan in the book) I was kind of led to believe that Hakan was just another Oskar, 40 years on. I thought Oskar would ultimately suffer the same fate as Hakan in one day growing old and seeing Eli find a new young boy (remember that scene where Hakan asks Eli not to meet Oskar?). It was very poignant but also sad. It's much better to think that Oskar has something new, a much deeper connection. I'm curious how their relationship change in the future though. I think they'll go their separate ways once Oskar is older. I agree with Hamlet that making Eli a little more understandable would have been better.

[Captain Lance Murdoch]

But did she seduce Oskar? "I am not a girl" and "we can't be friends" are not great enticements.

[SaharaTea]

I think she was certainly a seductress, even if actual sex wasn't involved. The way she took her clothes off before getting into bed with him was very provocative. But she also had a vulnerable side, and seemed to need his friendship as much as he needed hers. In the end though, I felt Oskar would probably meet the same fate as the first guy.

[randwill]

There is much in the film that is open to each viewer's interpretation. I think it is a testament to the richness of this movie that it provokes so much commentary and speculation by its audience. Not only do those who enjoyed the film really want to know what happens next, but this film seems to stay with you a lot longer and more intensely than other films.

It's not only the best film I saw last year, it's the best film I've seen in several years.

A WORD OF WARNING TO NEW VIEWERS:

The DVD defaults to the English language dub which is terrible! I mean really terrible. You have to go into Set Up and select the original Swedish soundtrack and the English subtitles if you want to see the movie that the actors and the director made.

Also, note, the English subtitles on the initial pressings of the DVD have been altered (dumbed down) from the original theatrical subtitles to the detriment of the film. Lines are changed, meaning and subtleties are lost and some things are just plan wrong. ( Hakan's last word, "Eli" is translated to "I'm trapped", WTF?) My advice, wait a few months for Magnolia to re-release "Let the Right One In", as they have stated they will, with the original theatrical subtitles, which will be specified on the back of the box as such.

[JR Brown]

Tried to search for it, but all the words get filtered out by the engine :smack:.
Google is your friend! (Some kind Doper whom I dis-remember created this handy-dandy custom search (http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=001223136417691641822:x0mhldiy7ko) for the SDMB.)

Previous threads on the book/movie:

Let the Right One In (no spoilers) (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=494381)

They're going to REMAKE "Let The Right One In"???? (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=501216)


I really liked the movie, but I had two small complaints about it. First, I never got into the pacing of the movie. It seemed ... odd ... to me. I was onboard at first, with the slow pacing with not much happening beyond character development, and then sudden, fast actions occurring during interesting times, and then back to the slow pacing. But toward the middle and end of the film, I found that kind of pacing was too jarring, and then it seemed to be completely abandoned and instead turned to a kind of mush of stuff. I'm not sure I'm being clear (actually I'm pretty sure I'm not), but the pacing never really agreed with me.

Second, I didn't like the choice to make Eli so ... mysterious. From the big reveal that I didn't get, to Eli's backstory, to Eli's length of time undead, to Eli's actual motivations (does Eli actually like Oskar or Eli's first caretaker?, is it just a parasitical relationship?, is Eli capable of emotions or just emotional manipulation, etc.) Since Eli was a major character and was supposed to be compelling, I thought hiding so much of the character's development was a misstep. There was a ton of stuff that could have been done to make Eli and the movie, much more interesting. I also didn't see Oskar's character expanding too much and there was more meat there I would have liked to see develop.

Eli is pretty inscrutable in the book too (apparently the "big reveal" was deliberately underplayed and the backstory cut for reasons of time). As to the pacing, I think that's kind of a side-effect of the matter-of-factness; sometimes you're just following the characters around as they do not a hell of a lot, sometimes people are being slaughtered right and left.

[shy guy]

I have to say that I couldn't disagree with Hamlet's criticisms more. I think the mystery surrounding Eli is one of the film's greatest strengths.

My question is what was up with...

... the scene with Oskar and his dad when his dad's friend comes over. What was the point of that? My only wild-ass guess was that this told us that Oskar's father is gay, and a friend of mine came to the same conclusion independently, but that doesn't sound right.

[randwill]

I have to say that I couldn't disagree with Hamlet's criticisms more. I think the mystery surrounding Eli is one of the film's greatest strengths.

My question is what was up with...

... the scene with Oskar and his dad when his dad's friend comes over. What was the point of that? My only wild-ass guess was that this told us that Oskar's father is gay, and a friend of mine came to the same conclusion independently, but that doesn't sound right.


The director has stated that he thinks it is odd that so many American viewers see a homosexual subtext in that scene. It is not what he and the author had in mind. The scene's purpose is to show how easily Oskar's father can be pulled away from his obligation to his son by alcohol. No doubt a contributing factor in his divorce from Oskar's Mom.

I think the creepy demeanor of the visiting neighbor contributes to this impression, but there's no gay there either in the movie or the book. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[Cat Fight]

do you think Oskar will become the next hitman/blood gatherer for Eli?

I definitely felt that that was what was implied by the last scene – even if he was hesitant before, he's made that decision out of love.

Did Eli pick up the first man in the same way--by befriending him as a boy?

That's what I took from the film, and felt the ending confirmed this. It was an amazing way of justifying that horrific opening scene, if only slightly. Haven't read the book, though I'm not sure if that should make a difference to audiences' interpretation – maybe that's a film studies question.

And what the heck was with the crotch shot of Eli?

According to a poster up ahead, 'she' used to be a he, according to the book. Didn't know that, and they certainly could have made it clearer ('I'm not a girl' could just mean 'I'm an old woman/vampire'). I thought it showed that she was bit herself, as a girl, by someone who also had sexual intentions towards her.

[randwill]

do you think Oskar will become the next hitman/blood gatherer for Eli?

I definitely felt that that was what was implied by the last scene – even if he was hesitant before, he's made that decision out of love.

Did Eli pick up the first man in the same way--by befriending him as a boy?

That's what I took from the film, and felt the ending confirmed this. It was an amazing way of justifying that horrific opening scene, if only slightly. Haven't read the book, though I'm not sure if that should make a difference to audiences' interpretation – maybe that's a film studies question.

And what the heck was with the crotch shot of Eli?

According to a poster up ahead, 'she' used to be a he, according to the book. Didn't know that, and they certainly could have made it clearer ('I'm not a girl' could just mean 'I'm an old woman/vampire'). I thought it showed that she was bit herself, as a girl, by someone who also had sexual intentions towards her.

What happens after the movie is over happens in the viewer's imagination, so it's up to you. At least until John Lindqvist (the book's author) publishes his promised short story sequel. But any movie that leaves so many viewer's pondering this has done a good job at snaring your imagination and making you care about the characters, don't you think?

The movie doesn't tell us how Eli and Hakan (the man she's with at the beginning) hook up. The book tells us that Eli met him shortly before the story began, so they did not meet when Hakan was a boy.

The crotch shot was a shout-out to an aspect of the story that is explained in much more detail in the book. Eli was born a male, named Elias. Two hundred years ago, at age 12, he was castrated and bitten in a ritual by a Nobleman vampire who ruled over the village he lived in. Eli describes him/herself in the book as, 'nothing'. Not a boy, not a girl. Nothing. Being as he was castrated before puberty, this makes sense. We can speculate that he presents himself as a female for expedience sake as a little girl might appear more innocent and needy than a boy.

I think that the quick shot probably does more to confuse viewers than any good it might do the film. A flashback depicting the castration scene was planned to go at the point where Eli (with the blood still on her face) tells Oskar to, "Be me a little" and Oskar closes his eyes. But the scene was never shot and the crotch shot should probably have been deleted as well. Perhaps it does serve the purpose of sending viewers looking for answers in the book. Or maybe most viewers don't notice the scar and assume it's just about Oskar's natural curiosity.

In the book, Eli kisses Oskar three or four times and each time this happens, Oskar sees a moment from Eli's past through her eyes, including the vampire-making ceremony I described above. Although I liked the movie better than the book, it was fun to read some additional and expanded scenes between Eli and Oskar. If you loved the movie, you'll want to read the book to feed your head some more of this captivating story.

[Hamlet]

I have to say that I couldn't disagree with Hamlet's criticisms more. I think the mystery surrounding Eli is one of the film's greatest strengths.I think I may not have been clear. I'm not against mystery, or against the viewer/reader having to make their own decisions about what happens next. I'm against, in this movie, the lack of evidence for us to draw our own conclusions. The filmmaker's decision to cut out Eli's backstory, to hide Eli's gender, to leave off details about Hakan, and other things, make Eli a much less compelling character, and, to me, makes the relationship between Eli and Oskar and Oskar's character, much less compelling also.

The story, at its core, is not about vampires, it's about Oskar and Eli and their relationship as it develops. And, on that front, the lack of information for the viewer about Eli, makes it harder to connect with her and with Oskar's relationship with her.

As I said, it wasn't a big deal, I still like the film a lot. It just, in my opinion, could have been better by including more about Eli and her relationships with others and less about Oskar's father's neighbor, or Oskar's penchant for having cold snot coming out his nose. It was a very good, but too sparse, film, that could have used some of the richness of (what it sounds like) the book.

[Intergalactic Gladiator]

I just saw this last night and reading all the extra info above sure does put another spin on the movie for me, especially everything about Eli's past.

I did have one question though, I don't think it really needs to be hidden in a spoiler box, but I'll throw it in anyway.


When Eli wanted to enter Oskar's apartment and Oskar did not specifically invite her in, why would it have affected her the way it did? Oskar already invited her in once before, so isn't she cleared to cross the threshold?

[randwill]

I just saw this last night and reading all the extra info above sure does put another spin on the movie for me, especially everything about Eli's past.

I did have one question though, I don't think it really needs to be hidden in a spoiler box, but I'll throw it in anyway.


When Eli wanted to enter Oskar's apartment and Oskar did not specifically invite her in, why would it have affected her the way it did? Oskar already invited her in once before, so isn't she cleared to cross the threshold?

That the vampire must be invited into a building is a staple of vampire fiction. But the rule is often interpreted differently by various writers. Sometimes the vampire need only be invited at one entrance to gain access through any entrance as in "Dracula" (1931). I didn't watch "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer", but I understand the vampires on this show only needed invites into private residences.

In "Let the Right One In", the rule seems to be that Eli needs an invite through any entrance. We hear an off-screen voice give her permission to enter the hospital but when she gets to Hakan's hospital room window she has to ask to come in there. He can't speak, so...

Nit-pickers will notice at the beginning of the film we see Eli enter the apartment building for the first time, apparently uninvited. And we can only guess at the circumstances of Virginia's entrance into the hospital (we only see her being wheeled down a hall on a gurney) after the cat attack.

"Let the Right One In" seems to be the first time in a film where the consequences of the vampire breaking the invitation rule have been depicted. And wonderfully so, in my opinion.

[Hello Again]

I also just watched this the other day. It was a bit arty and slow for me but it was definitely interesting all the same. Basically along the lines of Hamlet's post, I would have enjoyed more on Eli's character, and fewer shots of dismal 70s-era Swedish architecture in the snow.

Oskar's father's neighbor didn't ping my gaydar, but the way he leered at Oskar, well I didn't think his intentions were nice, and he made Oskar uncomfortable too, and we're talking about a kid who is not exactly perceptive when it comes to his own self-preservation (hint: when the fully clothed bully tells you to swim closer... don't.). I found that interesting because up till then his father's place was portrayed as a bit of an haven - I think that's when it struck me how completely Oskar's life sucked.

Poor Oskar was such a passive, pathetic little wretch. Today, I think, he would be on any teacher's watch list as a kid who would very obviously be likely to be victimized by his peers. Setting the story in the 80s was an interesting twist there.

[Shot From Guns]

Setting the story in the 80s was an interesting twist there.

Brezhnev was mentioned, IIRC, so that would put the movie somewhere in between June 16, 1977 and November 10, 1982.

As far as Oskar's father goes, chalk me up as another one who didn't see it as him being gay, just him not giving a damn about his son as soon as his friend showed up with booze.

[xanthous]

I just watched this after reading this thread (love the netflix instant play feature!) and I loved it. Definitely will have to read the book to get more of the inside story. Great film!

[Yookeroo]

Although the film doesn't tell us, the book reveals that Eli met Hakan (her companion) only a short time before the story starts. He is a disgraced former school teacher who is a pedophile.

My interpretation is that the relationship between Eli and Oskar is nothing like that of her and Hakan. Everything about the way she treats Hakan and Oskar is different.

One thing that irritated me was that Hakan was so crappy about procuring the needed blood. This explains that. But I was one who assumed that Oskar is destined to become the next Hakan. That's not to say that Oskar won't end up being a more competent Hakan type. But I think I like it better if this:

The thing you randwill noted about how in the book, Eli had just met the old man a few months before[/b] certainly makes the plot look very different than what I had supposed. But looking at the movie independently of the book, it does seem clearly to portray [spoiler]Oskar as just another in a long line of hunters/partners. Sure Oskar hasn't been able to kill yet, but he's definitely shown a desire to kill so it seems likely all it will take is opportunity and practice. Eli's actions seemed clearly to be designed to make Oskar feel both grateful and dependent, and to make him measure his own value by the value she appears to place on him.

...is the desired interpretation.

Why does this thread (a thread about a specific work) need spoiler tags? Meanwhile, threads that can potentially be about any work of art ever created have open spoilers. Odd.

[randwill]

In an interview, Tomas Alfredson, the movie's director, says that he believes that the film is open to both the pessimistic (Oskar as new killer for Eli) and optimistic (Oskar as a new type of companion for Eli). He says his choice is for the happy ending.

[AuntiePam]

I'm not good at interpreting movies (or books), but I never considered a pessimistic interpretation for the ending. Eli wanted a friend.

She didn't need anyone to kill for her -- we saw what she can do. She was with the old guy because she needed the cover. Someone who looks like she's 12 isn't going to be able to live alone.

I think the old guy killed for her because he thought she was young and innocent, and he didn't want to expose her to the nastiness involved in getting the blood. We take our kids to McDonald's but not to the slaughterhouse.

[Baal Houtham]

I thought it was one of the most effective horror films I've seen.

A thing that did bother me was
The hospitalized woman bursting into flames when exposed to sunlight.

The film was done in such a naturalistic style that the intrusion of the unambiguously supernatural was troubling.

I could accept "super-strength", non-aging, and dietary restrictions as unusual biological phenomenon. I could accept "entrance by invitation only" as a strong, but ultimately psychosomatic, restriction.

Spontaneous combustion? Not so much.

Ohh... and I glanced at the book in the library a few weeks back. Something I noticed was
[/spoiler] In the book the vampire had the power of flight... or at least very effective gliding. I was happy the movie deleted that, for the same reason I was troubled by the spontaneous combustion. [/spoiler]

Of course that decision might have been based on economics. The movie was low budget and climbing is easier to show than soaring.

[Baal Houtham]

Well, in that last post I didn't format my second spoiler correctly and then ran out of time to change it. Ahh well, it wasn't a very revealing spoiler anyway, so no real harm done.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

In an interview, Tomas Alfredson, the movie's director, says that he believes that the film is open to both the pessimistic (Oskar as new killer for Eli) and optimistic (Oskar as a new type of companion for Eli). He says his choice is for the happy ending.
The author of the book, on the other hand, has clearly stated that he intended for Eli's relationship with Oskar to be completely genuine and fundamentally different that with Hakan. He has clearly stated that he never intended the "next in line" interpretation.

He has also said that, while he won't write a sequel, he intends to publish an epilogue of sorts in the form of a short story, and says that his intended "happy ending" will be made more clear.

Incidentally, it's also made clear in the book that Eli can hunt perfectly well for herself, but that she just hates doing it. She doesn't like to kill. It makes her miserable.

[randwill]

I thought it was one of the most effective horror films I've seen.

A thing that did bother me was
The hospitalized woman bursting into flames when exposed to sunlight.

The film was done in such a naturalistic style that the intrusion of the unambiguously supernatural was troubling.

I could accept "super-strength", non-aging, and dietary restrictions as unusual biological phenomenon. I could accept "entrance by invitation only" as a strong, but ultimately psychosomatic, restriction.

Spontaneous combustion? Not so much.

Ohh... and I glanced at the book in the library a few weeks back. Something I noticed was
[/spoiler] In the book the vampire had the power of flight... or at least very effective gliding. I was happy the movie deleted that, for the same reason I was troubled by the spontaneous combustion. [/spoiler]

Of course that decision might have been based on economics. The movie was low budget and climbing is easier to show than soaring.
I love the way the movie implies that she can fly. When she moves out of frame from the hospital window we hear a rustling sound. (The entire sound design of the movie is incredible - turn it up.) And when she gets from Oskar's window to her's in a flash. Oskar's smiling reaction to this and her little wave are joyous in a movie filled with little joys.

[tnetennba]

I just read the book. It does make a lot of things clear that were not clear in the movie, and those vague/less developed aspects of the movie didn't make it a better movie, they basically just couldn't tell the whole story. For example, the drunks/regulars at the restaurant were hard to keep straight in the movie, the relationship with Lacke and Virginia was more established, etc. I particularly liked the gym teacher character in the book, who was just a guy in the movie, no real persona. But damn, there is stuff in the book that's as gross as anything I've ever read. And still, I would say it's a beautiful book. And I'm so sick of vampires I could puke. Go figure.

One simple question I had of the movie that's explained in the book is Why Eli lets the fat kid live. Duh, because he LET HER IN. She still needed an invitation to go into the pool. Didn't really show that in the movie unless I was distracted by something when it happened.

The book is very strong on making the humans more hatable than the so-called monster.

[MrDibble]

Only some of the humans. I found whats-his-name, Tommy (the juvenile delinquent?) to be a very sympathetic character, for instance.

[tnetennba]

Oh, obviously I didn't mean ALL the humans. Most of them are sympathetic, including Oskar and Lacke.

[Dante]

One thing I noted in the movie was that there were a couple of flashes that seemed to show Eli as an adult, or older teen. Did I imagine that, or was it explained in the book?

[randwill]

One thing I noted in the movie was that there were a couple of flashes that seemed to show Eli as an adult, or older teen. Did I imagine that, or was it explained in the book?

We see 'Older Eli' twice. Once when she is on the floor unable to resist the blood from Oskar's cut hand and again when she is sitting on top of him after she bleeds and implores Oskar to, "Be me a little."

I think it is open to interpretation as to whether this is meant to be a real physical change or only a representation to the audience of Eli's true age. I go with the latter interpretation. Eli is over 200 years old and the actress portraying 'Older Eli', even with the make-up, doesn't look like what we would imagine a 200 year-old person would look like.

And even though we have seen evidence that Eli can fly, and presumably she grows wings to do this, as in the book, we don't see any other evidence that she can transform her appearance radically. If she could make herself look like an adult, she wouldn't have needed Hakan to take care of adult stuff, like rent an apartment.

It's been a while since I read the book so I don't recall if it mentions Eli looking older sometimes. Maybe someone else who has the book a little fresher in their mind will chime in.

[tnetennba]

When she hasn't eaten, her appearance gets harsher and kind "older" that way, but she is the same size.

[tnetennba]

Incidentally, the book starts referring to Eli has "He" about halfway through.

[blondebear]

On the strength of this thread, I went down to the used DVD place to see if they had it. As luck would have it, I snagged the only copy for just $6.

Very well done. I didn't read the spoilers in advance, but I came back to the thread to get a few answers. I wonder what all the Twilight-heads would make of this?

[River Hippie]

spoiler]

I have read some complaints that the DVD has new subtitles that are inferior to the ones in the theatrical release.

Yes, this is correct. The DVD was released with crappy English subtitling. There is supposed to be an improved version released later but I have not been able to find a copy. Someone at another board* contacted Amazon to confirm they were shipping the improved version but got the earlier version anyway. If I'm remembering correctly the good version says "theatrical" in the subtitles box on the label.

*or maybe a different thread here.

[River Hippie]

Found this Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/anyone-received-correct-version-amazon/forum/Fx3QEFM7892VUN7/Tx1H47738877O30/2/ref=cm_cd_pg_pg2?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B001MYIXAC&cdSort=oldest) message board with posts indicating that they are shipping the improved version.

[randwill]

Make sure to watch ONLY the version with the theatrical subtitles. Look for the words, "SUBTITLES:ENGLISH (Theatrical), SPANISH" on the back of the DVD case.

At this time there is no US release of a Blu-ray with the correct subtitles. Blu-rays with the correct subtitles have been released in Britain and Sweden and can be imported if you want to have the very best picture and sound and subs.

A comparison of the 'good' and 'bad' subtitles can be found here:

http://iconsoffright.com/news/2009/03/let_the_wrong_subtitles_in_to.html

[Equipoise]

Oh my god, that's outrageous! It's such a great example of how a movie can be ruined by bad subtitles. I hate dubbing with the passion of a thousand suns, but even dubbing would have been better than those horrifically bad subtitles. What kind of an idiot was responsible for that?

[randwill]

Actually, the English language dub on the US-released DVD is even worse than the botched subtitles. As a general rule you should never watch a non-English language film dubbed, but in this case it's a must. The English dub is a travesty.

For non-Swedish speakers, the best way to watch this beautiful film is in the original Swedish language with the correct subtitles. "Let the Right One In" is such a special movie that it should be experienced as close to its original form as possible.