Visual Theme of Hands and Barriers

[gattoparde59]

Eli does get bloodier as the story progresses.

Oskar prefers the horrific truth to conforting lies, which is ultimately what allows him to love and be loved by Eli.

I would reverse that and say that Oskar loves Eli because he realizes the awful nature of Eli's curse. I see Oskar as a person who is by nature compassionate. He also has something to feel guilty about in this scene because he taunted Eli for being a vampire. His realization is that Eli needs his love. Impulsively he hugs Eli, and seems to me that he is trying to put the wounded Eli back together. The blood in this scene really marks Eli as being both demonic and a victim- another bloody paradox.

It would be an understatement to say that what follows is a frank discussion about Eli's curse- which leads naturally to the theme of compassion, "Be me for a little while."

[lombano]

Oskar prefers the horrific truth to conforting lies, which is ultimately what allows him to love and be loved by Eli.

I would reverse that and say that Oskar loves Eli because he realizes the awful nature of Eli's curse. I see Oskar as a person who is by nature compassionate. He also has something to feel guilty about in this scene because he taunted Eli for being a vampire. His realization is that Eli needs his love. Impulsively he hugs Eli, and seems to me that he is trying to put the wounded Eli back together.

Yes, Oskar is compassionate, as demonstrated by the 'birthday present' scene, but I get the feeling he also places a high value on truth even if he often lies. As per the deleted scenes, the one time he turns physically violent towards Eli it's the result of her lies. He himself is probably sick and tired of lying and pretending - but he has no one, until he meets Eli, he can really be himself with. Perhaps there is an undercurrent of the benefits of terrible truths over comforting lies in the story. In the early stages, Eli lies as little as possible, using ambiguous statements instead of outright lies whenever possible. In the bed scene, Eli comes as close to blurting out the truth as she dares. But when Eli lies to Oskar about the money, he leaves in anger. Eli arrives at Oskar's place as another lie - in 'cute girl' uniform. She does it with the best intentions, but if anything it seems to anger Oskar, maybe because he's already seen her as a monster and finds such pretenses insulting? Then we have a sequence of truths - from 'who are you?' to the nude shot - Eli not shutting the door is almost an invitation for Oskar to peek, there can be little doubt Eli realises he peeked and seems rather cheerful about it. Afterwards, there is no more conflict between them. In the kiss scene, Oskar is willing to kiss her even though she hasn't wiped - no pretense that she's not a killer. In the pool scene, we only see Eli's eyes but in the circumstances it is easy to imagine she must have been in full vampiric attire - blood-soaked, with wings, fangs and claws, which Oskar smiles at and it's followed by him decisively casting his lot with her.

The blood in this scene really marks Eli as being both demonic and a victim- another bloody paradox.

I wouldn't say Eli is demonic, which implies a willful choice to be evil, but I would say she is a monster.

[a_contemplative_life]

Someone noticed at the end we see the bloody hands of Eli reaching down to free Oskar from his watery grave.

is it bloody? From the DVD it just looks to me as though the palm of her hand is in shadow. Bloody you say. Hmm...

It's clearly blood. The pattern doesn't match a shadow and it's reddish in color. Of course, I'm apparently the only guy who sees a fang in Eli's mouth after the kiss with Oskar. . . .

I always took Eli having blood on her face as showing that she wearing who she really is on her face. Neither the child nor the vampire are hidden. In the film the only person who she allows to see her with blood on her face is Oskar. . . . The blood on her face is a visual indicator that she is willing to show her real self to Oskar.

I agree. This reaches a crescendo, if you will, after Lacke dies. Eli can't look any worse than after killing him. Just by standing there in front of Oskar, Eli is saying, 'yeah, I'm horrible. But I still love you (for saving my life, among other things), and I'm going to express that love no matter what. Very gutsy, you might say (actually, Eli does several very gutsy things in this film). Happily, Oskar doesn't wilt.

This for me has pleasing implications for the "You must let me in" scene. During the "Be me a little" sequence Eli has blood on her face (her own). Now after Oskar has let her in, and presumably has been her a little, the next time we see her she has bathed and washed all of the blood away. She has shown Oskar who she is, he has let her in and accepted her, and now symbolically her vampire self has been washed away leaving only the happy twelve year old Eli (at least for a time).

Nice observation; I hadn't thought about it that way.

Incidentally, I love the look on Eli's face as Oskar janks him around/out of the room. Funny.

I make up my opinions from facts and reasoning, and not to suit any body but myself. If people don't like my opinions, it makes little difference as I don't solicit their opinions or votes.
- William Tecumseh Sherman (1820 - 1891)

[gattoparde59]

I wouldn't say Eli is demonic, which implies a willful choice to be evil, but I would say she is a monster.

I agree, poor choice of words.

Yes, Oskar is compassionate, as demonstrated by the 'birthday present' scene . . .

I think I agree with all that. I am saying that when Oskar does uncover the truth, about
both Eli and himself, he has a difficult time "handling" it.

This reaches a crescendo, if you will, after Lacke dies. Eli can't look any worse than after killing him.

I noticed that while Eli kills Lacke in the bathroom, Oskar throws down his knife and he has
a tormented look on his face. Why is Oskar so upset? If you follow Wolfchild's visual cues,
I think this goes back to the start of the film when Oskar stabs at some imaginary person:
"Squeal like a pig! Squeal!" When Oskar throws down his knife we can hear the screams of
Lacke in the bathroom. Oskar can hear the sounds of a man being murdered, and I
don't think he likes what he hears.

For me, the most shocking scene in the film is the bloody kiss Eli gives Oskar when this is all over. Eli pulls back and we can see Oskar's face as he tastes the blood of . . . Lacke. What is the expression on Oskar's face? Just In case we are a little slow we cut to a shot of Lacke dead in the bathroom, with his throat ripped open. The same mouth that gave Oskar a tender kiss also ripped open Lacke's throat. Ugh! Maybe I am the one who has a difficult time handling the truth.

[Wolfchild]

I noticed that while Eli kills Lacke in the bathroom, Oskar throws down his knife and he has
a tormented look on his face. Why is Oskar so upset? If you follow Wolfchild's visual cues,
I think this goes back to the start of the film when Oskar stabs at some imaginary person:
"Squeal like a pig! Squeal!" When Oskar throws down his knife we can hear the screams of
Lacke in the bathroom. Oskar can hear the sounds of a man being murdered, and I
don't think he likes what he hears.

And why not? The sounds of it upset the people in the apartment upstairs who didn't even know what was going on. How could they not upset wimpy little Oskar?

For me, the most shocking scene in the film is the bloody kiss Eli gives Oskar when this is all over. Eli pulls back and we can see Oskar's face as he tastes the blood of . . . Lacke. What is the expression on Oskar's face? Just In case we are a little slow we cut to a shot of Lacke dead in the bathroom, with his throat ripped open. The same mouth that gave Oskar a tender kiss also ripped open Lacke's throat. Ugh! Maybe I am the one who has a difficult time handling the truth.

To follow my thought about the blood on her face representing Eli's vampire aspect, now at this point in the movie not only does Oskar know of Eli's true nature, he also exactly what it means. Nothing is left to his imagination. He cannot ignore how Eli survives. By accepting Eli's kiss, he is accepting her and her mode of existence. Eli knows this - this is why she keeps her eyes open at first to see if he is accepting it. Oskar's acceptance of that kiss signals his acceptance of everything about Eli. She now has no secrets from him, he has seen the worst, and still he accepts the kiss. He accepts Eli. He knows that he is kissing both twelve year old Eli and vampire Eli. He accepts all of it because he loves her.

JAL has called this the The Best Film Kiss Ever. I am inclined to agree. The magnitude of Oskar's choice and the love it signifies colors my perception of this scene so much that I have never once thought, "Ew!" The more shocking the circumstances of it, the more I admire Oskar.

[pristidae]

Wolfchild: Brilliant analysis of the hands and barriers symbolism -- I see the film in a richer, more meaningful light. It seems so systematic, it must be intentional?!?

Oskar refuses to let her in when she is disguised as a cute little girl, but he hugs and lets in the blood-drenched, dishevelled Eli of a few seconds later. Oskar prefers the horrific truth to conforting lies, which is ultimately what allows him to love and be loved by Eli.

Excellent observation -- I never thought of the the presence of blood on Eli as representing his vampire aspect, which Oskar clearly accepts as he hugs and kisses her despite Eli being covered in it.

[drakkar]

To follow my thought about the blood on her face representing Eli's vampire aspect, now at this point in the movie not only does Oskar know of Eli's true nature, he also exactly what it means. Nothing is left to his imagination. He cannot ignore how Eli survives. By accepting Eli's kiss, he is accepting her and her mode of existence. Eli knows this - this is why she keeps her eyes open at first to see if he is accepting it. Oskar's acceptance of that kiss signals his acceptance of everything about Eli. She now has no secrets from him, he has seen the worst, and still he accepts the kiss. He accepts Eli. He knows that he is kissing both twelve year old Eli and vampire Eli. He accepts all of it because he loves her.

JAL has called this the The Best Film Kiss Ever. I am inclined to agree. The magnitude of Oskar's choice and the love it signifies colors my perception of this scene so much that I have never once thought, "Ew!" The more shocking the circumstances of it, the more I admire Oskar.

I like your interpretation very much.
After watching the film, but before reading the book, I was in a couple of discussions of with women (yes; gender specific in Norway also) about Eli's intentions with Oskar. They tended to regard Eli as highly manipulative, priming Oskar to be the new Hakan.
And the final proof of their view being correct was this scene with Eli watching Oskar while kissing him.
(I argued back that he just had thrown away his knife when facing a real killing, and why the heck would a cold and cunning Eli destroy three promising killer prospects in the pool scene just to save a dubious one?..)

[lombano]

Yes, Oskar is compassionate, as demonstrated by the 'birthday present' scene . . .

I think I agree with all that. I am saying that when Oskar does uncover the truth, about
both Eli and himself, he has a difficult time "handling" it.

Yes, of course. It's difficult, but he still chooses to confront it - it would have been easier to flee these truths, but Oskar chooses to face them.

For me, the most shocking scene in the film is the bloody kiss Eli gives Oskar when this is all over. Eli pulls back and we can see Oskar's face as he tastes the blood of . . . Lacke. What is the expression on Oskar's face? Just In case we are a little slow we cut to a shot of Lacke dead in the bathroom, with his throat ripped open. The same mouth that gave Oskar a tender kiss also ripped open Lacke's throat. Ugh! Maybe I am the one who has a difficult time handling the truth.

You're not the only one, the kiss scene is also horrific, not just romantic. In that sense, it embodies the film's spirit perfectly.

[lombano]

JAL has called this the The Best Film Kiss Ever. I am inclined to agree. The magnitude of Oskar's choice and the love it signifies colors my perception of this scene so much that I have never once thought, "Ew!" The more shocking the circumstances of it, the more I admire Oskar.

QFT.

[gattoparde59]

In the pool scene, we only see Eli's eyes but in the circumstances it is easy to imagine she must have been in full vampiric attire - blood-soaked, with wings, fangs and claws, which Oskar smiles at and it's followed by him decisively casting his lot with her.

Interesting. I had not thought of this, but I don't think this is the point. The blood on the face seems to cover the point you are making about Oskar's acceptance of Eli. We also see the (bloody?) hands of Eli reaching into the pool, not monstrous claws.

The point is the two make eye contact and the love Oscar and Eli share with each other. I think the image of eyes filling the frame is a another visual thread that appears else where in the film and not just here at the end. A tale told by eyes, perhaps?
Hm. . .