Narration

[crazychristina]

I've just listened to JAL's and TA's narration on the Blu Ray that I had sent from England recently. I was interested to hear JAL say that Kare and Lina had become Oskar and Eli for him, even though he had imagined them differently when he was writing the book. When I read the book I was impressed with the fact that JAL hardly ever actually described his characters physically. I have no idea what his original Oskar actually looked like, except that he was a bit overweight I think.

The narration confirmed my feeling that TA saw the whole thing as symbolic or perhaps a fantasy. He particularly mentioned that possibility when Oskar was looking out the window as Eli left in the taxi, and he then visited the empty apartment next door. Perhaps he had imagined the whole think. JAL, however said but it wasn't a fantasy, he really did meet and love a vampire. JAL also emphasized how autobiographical it was, including the 'friends' who destroyed his fathers life with drinking. The adult world was degenerate. The teachers were almost OK, but didn't quite take enough interest and care to make any difference in the long run.

[danielma]

The narration confirmed my feeling that TA saw the whole thing as symbolic or perhaps a fantasy. He particularly mentioned that possibility when Oskar was looking out the window as Eli left in the taxi, and he then visited the empty apartment next door. Perhaps he had imagined the whole think. JAL, however said but it wasn't a fantasy, he really did meet and love a vampire. JAL also emphasized how autobiographical it was, including the 'friends' who destroyed his fathers life with drinking. The adult world was degenerate. The teachers were almost OK, but didn't quite take enough interest and care to make any difference in the long run.

You know the funny thing for me is I never once saw it that way...I know Alfredson has stated this on the commentary but I never once saw it as being in Oskar's imagination.

I actually always took the empty apartment as being Oskar's own confirmation that "Yes (s)he is indeed gone"...hence the very empty apartment. For me the charm of the film was just how deceptively simple it was...the narrative really is quite simple and yet there is so much charm that came from it.

So I never once took the "Empty Apartment" scene as meaning that this could be all in Oskar's mind...and to this day I'm still not sure how one would come to that conclusion considering the deceptively simple nature of the narrative.

[rgh]

The narration confirmed my feeling that TA saw the whole thing as symbolic or perhaps a fantasy. He particularly mentioned that possibility when Oskar was looking out the window as Eli left in the taxi, and he then visited the empty apartment next door. Perhaps he had imagined the whole think. JAL, however said but it wasn't a fantasy, he really did meet and love a vampire. JAL also emphasized how autobiographical it was, including the 'friends' who destroyed his fathers life with drinking. The adult world was degenerate. The teachers were almost OK, but didn't quite take enough interest and care to make any difference in the long run.

You know the funny thing for me is I never once saw it that way...I know Alfredson has stated this on the commentary but I never once saw it as being in Oskar's imagination.

I actually always took the empty apartment as being Oskar's own confirmation that "Yes (s)he is indeed gone"...hence the very empty apartment. For me the charm of the film was just how deceptively simple it was...the narrative really is quite simple and yet there is so much charm that came from it.

So I never once took the "Empty Apartment" scene as meaning that this could be all in Oskar's mind...and to this day I'm still not sure how one would come to that conclusion considering the deceptively simple nature of the narrative.

When I saw the scene in Eli's empty apartment, I interpreted it as Oskar just trying to feel a little closer to Eli in her absence by visiting the place(s) she had been. It never occurred to me that the whole thing could be interpreted as a fantasy. In fact, the idea that it could have just been Oskar's fantasy is somewhat depressing.

[ColBlair]

I thought when Oskar seen the cab go by, he went into the apartment to see if she was around and found out that she wasn't.

[gkmoberg1]

I agree with ColBlair. Oskar sees the taxi drive away. You have feel there's a lurch in his stomach to think she might gone. And so I too interpreted the empty apparent view as him visiting it and find out that his gut was right. Then the heartache sets in and we see him for the long shot through the window looking out. By this point in the movie I was so involved in the characters that I could not but sympathize with his emptiness.

It never crossed my mind that Oskar might be pondering whether it had all be a dream.

[lombano]

It never crossed my mind that Oskar might be pondering whether it had all be a dream.

Nor mine. I interpreted Oskar's visit as a way of trying to cling to something of Eli, but finding nothing there.

[gattoparde59]

As for Alfredson's "it's all a fantasy" idea, the real clue we have of his thinking is the return to Oskar putting his hand on the window, the exact same shot is played again for us and it suggests that the things we are shown on film are not entirely real, just like Oskar's reflection in the window is not entirely real.

The only way I can accept that type of thinking is to say that memories are in some sense imaginary. These things were real, but now we can't really see them anymore.

That whole sequence for me is about Oskar's memories, especially when they show the empty jungle gym.

[intrige]

I thought when Oskar seen the cab go by, he went into the apartment to see if she was around and found out that she wasn't.

O. I like that one

I thought that he just went to be shure that (s)he had gone. In any time, not just afther he saw the taxi.

[ColBlair]

I thought when Oskar seen the cab go by, he went into the apartment to see if she was around and found out that she wasn't.

O. I like that one

I thought that he just went to be shure that (s)he had gone. In any time, not just afther he saw the taxi.

Maybe.

[jonjon_z]

The narration confirmed my feeling that TA saw the whole thing as symbolic or perhaps a fantasy. He particularly mentioned that possibility when Oskar was looking out the window as Eli left in the taxi, and he then visited the empty apartment next door. Perhaps he had imagined the whole think. JAL, however said but it wasn't a fantasy, he really did meet and love a vampire. JAL also emphasized how autobiographical it was, including the 'friends' who destroyed his fathers life with drinking.

I wish I hadn't seen this but since it is pertinent; While JAL insists his Eli was real, TA explains in an interview that, to him, the infamous pool scene was Oskar's fantasy. That he actually died there. The following scene on the train was Oskar's proverbial 'going into the light'.

[Q]:What is the meaning of your odd ending shot, where Oscar is on the train? The film could have ended instead with the preceding scene, with the revenge on the bullies.

[TA]:Oscar lives in a society that cannot handle him or respect him. He takes full responsibility for that, and he leaves. He cuts off the bonds, the teachers, the family, and leaves society. And that is quite an interesting movement. I like that he does that. For me, the preceding pool scene, is his fantasy. He actually dies here. In reality, he would die. Instead he leaves. I like my ending scene on the train. The window shot was inspired by a memory from my childhood. As a child, I saw an open curtain in the window. My ending is very bright and promising. Some viewers see Oscar as the new blood provider to the girl. Another idea is that he decides to be a vampire himself so she lets him contaminate him, and they live happily ever after as a children vampire couple.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karin-bad ... 47966.html

It's hard to accept TA's take on the ending and this opens up some other questions; Was Eli an imaginary friend for Oskar and that everything was a fantasy? or did she never come back? It should be noted that in the pool scene, JAL's Oskar in the novel is turned "completely blue" when "something with angel wings" pulls him out whereas in the film Oskar is hardly gasping for breath.
*edit: added link to interview.