I definitely love Abby.
I love Eli too, but I for different reasons. Film Eli, I love mostly because as has been said, Lina's just so darn cute, cute to the point you almost forget she's likely to have you for dinner.
I love Book Eli because of the whole "I'm a boy" thing, which I really wish had been emphasized more in the LTROI and added to LMI.
But for Abby, I love her because
1. She seems older than Eli, more "pretty" and less "cute," which to me re-emphasizes the "Romeo and Juliet" tragic love story aspect of the story.
2. Her tragedy of constant disappointments. Leaving aside the issue of whether or not she's ever really been in love before, we know at least her attempts at having at least a friend fail miserably, at least until Owen.
3. Her more animalistic vampire nature (compared to film Eli) makes her sweeter, human side stand out that much more to me.
Like other people are saying, in a way most of this falls more under sympathy than love, but I think there's a significant overlap for people who empathize with those who are down on their luck.
Who loves Abby?
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a_contemplative_life
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Re: Who loves Abby?
I would like to respond to DavidZahir's post, in which I sense some bewilderment and frustration about the attitude of some of the board members regarding LMI.
I can't speak for others, but I know that many people, like me, have been posting here for quite awhile. And I wouldn't be doing it for getting on close to two years unless I perceived something unique and special about LTROI. To me, it's a once-in-a-lifetime film. It is a story about love; about how two children who are downcast outsiders manage to find love. It is their relationship that I care about, that carries the significance of the film for me.
And it is also apparent to me that the people who were responsible for putting the film together, notably JAL and Tomas Alfredson, did it with loving care. So many topics, spread out over this forum, that it is difficult to enumerate them all, point to this. The cinematography; the color palette; the music, the soundscape; the care with which the lead actors were chosen, and their chemistry on-screen. The poetry of some of their lines. Little things, like the fact that the scenes involving the children were shot at kid's eye level. That TA studied certain paintings that involved the intriguing use of the subject's eyes to make the film. Like the significance of the hands in the film, as Wolf has pointed out. That Eli's vampirism was toned down, not clichéd. That the blood and gore was there, but not needlessly there. That there were humorous moments. That the choices Oskar and Eli made to be with each other were real choices, not obvious, foregone conclusions. Oskar's mother loved him, and so did his dad. That other forms of love were included so that we could contrast them with what Eli and Oskar came to share. That there were elements of gray that made us think and ponder the what-could-have-beens. That TA was brave enough to make Eli a castrated boy, and to show us something to prove it. That this was a story about a special kind of love that did not involve sex. That this is a film you can really sink your teeth into--watch it repeatedly and see new things in it each time. I could go on and on, but you get my point.
So, when people have these kind of intense feelings wrapped up in something, it is not difficult to understand how something that comes along only a couple of years later and deals with the same story--and more importantly, the same relationship--is going to be met with a strong reaction by those who love the first film. Maybe if I had seen LMI first, I would have been touched by it too--I don't know. But that is not what happened in my case, and as much as I would have liked to view LMI in a vacuum, I'm simply incapable of doing that.
So frankly, I share Alfredson's feelings. We did't need a remake. Our culture wasn't ten or fifteen years down the road where we could look back and say, 'hey, let's update that story to a more relevant time, something that we can better relate to now.'' Alfredson worked his butt off to make a beautiful film--you can't watch it and not see the love with which it was made. The guy sinks his heart, mind and soul into something that people will hopefully remember, that might touch them somehow on a deeply personal level, and it does. Then along comes "the remake," takes the same story that we care about, and in the interests of "bringing it to a wider audience," fundamentally alters the relationship between the two main characters. Starting with changing the name to omit "the Right One," to the more self-centered, "Let Me In." To removing any ambiguity about Abby's gender because of the perception that audiences can't handle the notion that someone of uncertain or even non-gender is worthy of love, too. To omitting any face time for Owen's mother so leaving her will be a no-brainer. To changing Hakan into Thomas, throwing in the photo booth strip, and thereby making it clear that it will be Owen's fate to be the next bloodgetter for Abby. To saying his film is based on the book, but then forgetting that one line in the novel when Eli tells Oskar he hasn't had a normal friendship in 200 years. To making the bullies sufficiently vicious that no one will wring their hands when they "get it" at the end. To jacking up all the vampire elements and attack scenes because, well, isn't that what U.S. audiences really want when it comes to "vampire" films? Monstrous faces, big pointy teeth, and lots of blood-letting action?
So, it's no longer about two children seeing each other eye-to-eye and finding love. It's not about decision-making balanced on a nail-head. That's what I don't like about LMI, and why I cannot connect emotionally with Abby--there's nothing special about the love they share. Owen's a retread; the next iteration of 'the Father." The story's all lop-sided now. And I guess I can go back and agree with Wolf's post of earlier today and say, 'well, LMI doesn't change how I feel about Eli and Oskar.' But I think that's only partially true. Because now there's a lot of people out there who have only seen LMI, have only seen Reeves' take on the Owen/Abby relationship, and may never come to share the beauty of the original, either because they won't be motivated to go see it, or because when they do it will be filtered through their experience with LMI. And for the same reasons that I and many of us feel a deep desire to share what we love about LTROI so much with others--because we know beauty when we see it, and want others to enjoy it--I feel sad when I see the damage that Reeves has done to the love story between the two main characters. Especially when it didn't have to be that way. More tragic? Yes. More uplifting? No.
Before I finish, I want to emphasize that I am not saying that there is anything wrong with the feelings you have developed about Abby. Nor do I wish to be dragged into a big discussion about the pros and cons, or the flaws and weaknesses, of the films. I just want to share with you my perspective on why some of us have this attitude/reaction to LMI.
I can't speak for others, but I know that many people, like me, have been posting here for quite awhile. And I wouldn't be doing it for getting on close to two years unless I perceived something unique and special about LTROI. To me, it's a once-in-a-lifetime film. It is a story about love; about how two children who are downcast outsiders manage to find love. It is their relationship that I care about, that carries the significance of the film for me.
And it is also apparent to me that the people who were responsible for putting the film together, notably JAL and Tomas Alfredson, did it with loving care. So many topics, spread out over this forum, that it is difficult to enumerate them all, point to this. The cinematography; the color palette; the music, the soundscape; the care with which the lead actors were chosen, and their chemistry on-screen. The poetry of some of their lines. Little things, like the fact that the scenes involving the children were shot at kid's eye level. That TA studied certain paintings that involved the intriguing use of the subject's eyes to make the film. Like the significance of the hands in the film, as Wolf has pointed out. That Eli's vampirism was toned down, not clichéd. That the blood and gore was there, but not needlessly there. That there were humorous moments. That the choices Oskar and Eli made to be with each other were real choices, not obvious, foregone conclusions. Oskar's mother loved him, and so did his dad. That other forms of love were included so that we could contrast them with what Eli and Oskar came to share. That there were elements of gray that made us think and ponder the what-could-have-beens. That TA was brave enough to make Eli a castrated boy, and to show us something to prove it. That this was a story about a special kind of love that did not involve sex. That this is a film you can really sink your teeth into--watch it repeatedly and see new things in it each time. I could go on and on, but you get my point.
So, when people have these kind of intense feelings wrapped up in something, it is not difficult to understand how something that comes along only a couple of years later and deals with the same story--and more importantly, the same relationship--is going to be met with a strong reaction by those who love the first film. Maybe if I had seen LMI first, I would have been touched by it too--I don't know. But that is not what happened in my case, and as much as I would have liked to view LMI in a vacuum, I'm simply incapable of doing that.
So frankly, I share Alfredson's feelings. We did't need a remake. Our culture wasn't ten or fifteen years down the road where we could look back and say, 'hey, let's update that story to a more relevant time, something that we can better relate to now.'' Alfredson worked his butt off to make a beautiful film--you can't watch it and not see the love with which it was made. The guy sinks his heart, mind and soul into something that people will hopefully remember, that might touch them somehow on a deeply personal level, and it does. Then along comes "the remake," takes the same story that we care about, and in the interests of "bringing it to a wider audience," fundamentally alters the relationship between the two main characters. Starting with changing the name to omit "the Right One," to the more self-centered, "Let Me In." To removing any ambiguity about Abby's gender because of the perception that audiences can't handle the notion that someone of uncertain or even non-gender is worthy of love, too. To omitting any face time for Owen's mother so leaving her will be a no-brainer. To changing Hakan into Thomas, throwing in the photo booth strip, and thereby making it clear that it will be Owen's fate to be the next bloodgetter for Abby. To saying his film is based on the book, but then forgetting that one line in the novel when Eli tells Oskar he hasn't had a normal friendship in 200 years. To making the bullies sufficiently vicious that no one will wring their hands when they "get it" at the end. To jacking up all the vampire elements and attack scenes because, well, isn't that what U.S. audiences really want when it comes to "vampire" films? Monstrous faces, big pointy teeth, and lots of blood-letting action?
So, it's no longer about two children seeing each other eye-to-eye and finding love. It's not about decision-making balanced on a nail-head. That's what I don't like about LMI, and why I cannot connect emotionally with Abby--there's nothing special about the love they share. Owen's a retread; the next iteration of 'the Father." The story's all lop-sided now. And I guess I can go back and agree with Wolf's post of earlier today and say, 'well, LMI doesn't change how I feel about Eli and Oskar.' But I think that's only partially true. Because now there's a lot of people out there who have only seen LMI, have only seen Reeves' take on the Owen/Abby relationship, and may never come to share the beauty of the original, either because they won't be motivated to go see it, or because when they do it will be filtered through their experience with LMI. And for the same reasons that I and many of us feel a deep desire to share what we love about LTROI so much with others--because we know beauty when we see it, and want others to enjoy it--I feel sad when I see the damage that Reeves has done to the love story between the two main characters. Especially when it didn't have to be that way. More tragic? Yes. More uplifting? No.
Before I finish, I want to emphasize that I am not saying that there is anything wrong with the feelings you have developed about Abby. Nor do I wish to be dragged into a big discussion about the pros and cons, or the flaws and weaknesses, of the films. I just want to share with you my perspective on why some of us have this attitude/reaction to LMI.
Re: Who loves Abby?
ACL, that was excellent and i would very much agree with everything you just said. I even feel the same for what Tomas feels too.
Run, and you might live.
Stay, and you might die.
However, nothing is certain.
Come visit my blog where i write stuff of Vampires, including Let the right one in, http://godlessvampire.blogspot.com/
Stay, and you might die.
However, nothing is certain.
Come visit my blog where i write stuff of Vampires, including Let the right one in, http://godlessvampire.blogspot.com/
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sauvin
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Re: Who loves Abby?
I've tried halfheartedly on occasion to find a forum like this one geared towards those who've seen LMI first, or who consider LMI the better movie. I've failed. The last site I visited, also a phpBB-powered site, was overrun by spam, tons of tiny posts and apparently a mean IQ maybe a giggle, a titter and maybe a suggestion of a chuckle above that commonly found on IMDB.
So, completely off-topic, let me take a moment to thank Wolfchild for putting together and maintaining not only a vastly more aesthetically pleasing board (the other is garish and hard to read) but also a throng of vastly higher quality to trade arguments with than any I've ever been in or with outside technically oriented boards.
As far as I can see, this is it. This is THE place for discussing LMI and its characters, and I find it mildly unfortunate that it has to be in a place given mostly over to another work that mostly eclipses it in a number of respects.
I find it unfortunate because, well, erm... Eli is my first and profoundest preteen vampire girl love, and I can't see that ever changing, but...
... well...
um... I happen to love Abby, too.
So, completely off-topic, let me take a moment to thank Wolfchild for putting together and maintaining not only a vastly more aesthetically pleasing board (the other is garish and hard to read) but also a throng of vastly higher quality to trade arguments with than any I've ever been in or with outside technically oriented boards.
As far as I can see, this is it. This is THE place for discussing LMI and its characters, and I find it mildly unfortunate that it has to be in a place given mostly over to another work that mostly eclipses it in a number of respects.
I find it unfortunate because, well, erm... Eli is my first and profoundest preteen vampire girl love, and I can't see that ever changing, but...
... well...
um... I happen to love Abby, too.
Fais tomber les barrières entre nous qui sommes tous des frères
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cmfireflies
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Re: Who loves Abby?
that's beautifully said a_c_l. Feeling this way, how could you bear to kill off Eli so many times 
"When is a monster not a monster? Oh, when you love it."
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sauvin
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Re: Who loves Abby?
ACL understands better than many of us the true horror and tragedy of what it is to be an Eli or an Abby.cmfireflies wrote:that's beautifully said a_c_l. Feeling this way, how could you bear to kill off Eli so many times
Fais tomber les barrières entre nous qui sommes tous des frères
Re: Who loves Abby?
If anyone here thinks they love LTROI more than I do, we can certainly discuss it, but I'm kind of tired of the LMI bashing. It's boring. I am interested in Let Me In. I still have trouble watching it without comparing it in my mind to LTROI, but that is my own failing. I am interested in it because I feel fairly certain that it has things to teach me about JAL's story. I am interested in discussions about LMI, because reading them and participating lead me to little epiphanies like the one I posted above.
No one their right minds would want to be in Oskar's place. His life has been horrible and it can only continue to be so. The same is true for Owen. Indeed, the same is also true Abby and Eli. I think that anyone who says they would want to trade places with any of these characters has really not understood the story. However, I do find a difference between Oskar & Eli and Owen & Abby. I think most of envy the love that Oskar & Eli have found. I'm not sure that the same is true for Owen & Abby. Or perhaps I'm wrong.
I'll hijack the thread: Does anyone envy Owen & Abby? Especially if you don't envy Oskar & Eli.
No one their right minds would want to be in Oskar's place. His life has been horrible and it can only continue to be so. The same is true for Owen. Indeed, the same is also true Abby and Eli. I think that anyone who says they would want to trade places with any of these characters has really not understood the story. However, I do find a difference between Oskar & Eli and Owen & Abby. I think most of envy the love that Oskar & Eli have found. I'm not sure that the same is true for Owen & Abby. Or perhaps I'm wrong.
I'll hijack the thread: Does anyone envy Owen & Abby? Especially if you don't envy Oskar & Eli.
...the story derives a lot of its appeal from its sense of despair and a darkness in which the love of Eli and Oskar seems to shine with a strange and disturbing light.
-Lacenaire
Visit My LTROI fan page.
-Lacenaire
Visit My LTROI fan page.
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cmfireflies
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Re: Who loves Abby?
A few posts back people was saying how Abby is more tragic than Eli and indeed it would be hard to find something more tragic than Abby's circumstances.
I think to love Abby would be more tragic than being Abby. Specifically, not the moment her loves die for her but the time between growing apart and dying. Being with Abby and loving Abby with the knowledge that you can't make her as happy as before, knowing that each day pulls the two of you farther apart, that's more tragic simply because for Abby's caretakers by the time they reach that point would no longer have the emotional resilience of children. Abby will always live in the present while her caretakers will gradually slip into the past.
When Thomas was looking at the photo and Abby brushes him away, I don't think it's because is being cruel or immature. She's acting out of necessity. The past is poisonous to a vampire. Reminiscing about Thomas's younger days would mean also acknowledging the vast number of victims that she's killed since then, it would mean acknowledging that she's basically killing the one she used to love, probably the one she once killed to protect. How do you fall in love after heartbreak? (And the loss of Thomas was probably heartbreaking, just not at the moment of his death) By promising that this time things would be different, right? To indulge in Thomas's nostalgia would probably remind Abby of broken promises and add to her tally of broken lives. She can't think that way and still want to live. So as a defense mechanism, Abby is extremely practical: You used to make me happy, you don't anymore, so I'm going to find someone else, because we can't turn back time. I'm sorry about this and you could have left, but you didn't. I'm not going to pretend that things can be the same again for your sake.
To survive it's imperative that Abby live in the moment and forget the past. So what I'm saying is I'm envious of Eli and Oskar, but not at all of Abby and Owen, because I believe that Eli wouldn't allow Oskar to grow old with her. She'll turn him or leave him. And I don't understand how anyone could be envious of Owen and not Oskar, because I think that Eli is better than Abby in every way. Even if assuming that you have no heart and think of Eli as evil and Abby as good, Eli is still the better liar. And I prefer a beautiful lie to Abby's honesty about her crappy existence.
I think to love Abby would be more tragic than being Abby. Specifically, not the moment her loves die for her but the time between growing apart and dying. Being with Abby and loving Abby with the knowledge that you can't make her as happy as before, knowing that each day pulls the two of you farther apart, that's more tragic simply because for Abby's caretakers by the time they reach that point would no longer have the emotional resilience of children. Abby will always live in the present while her caretakers will gradually slip into the past.
When Thomas was looking at the photo and Abby brushes him away, I don't think it's because is being cruel or immature. She's acting out of necessity. The past is poisonous to a vampire. Reminiscing about Thomas's younger days would mean also acknowledging the vast number of victims that she's killed since then, it would mean acknowledging that she's basically killing the one she used to love, probably the one she once killed to protect. How do you fall in love after heartbreak? (And the loss of Thomas was probably heartbreaking, just not at the moment of his death) By promising that this time things would be different, right? To indulge in Thomas's nostalgia would probably remind Abby of broken promises and add to her tally of broken lives. She can't think that way and still want to live. So as a defense mechanism, Abby is extremely practical: You used to make me happy, you don't anymore, so I'm going to find someone else, because we can't turn back time. I'm sorry about this and you could have left, but you didn't. I'm not going to pretend that things can be the same again for your sake.
To survive it's imperative that Abby live in the moment and forget the past. So what I'm saying is I'm envious of Eli and Oskar, but not at all of Abby and Owen, because I believe that Eli wouldn't allow Oskar to grow old with her. She'll turn him or leave him. And I don't understand how anyone could be envious of Owen and not Oskar, because I think that Eli is better than Abby in every way. Even if assuming that you have no heart and think of Eli as evil and Abby as good, Eli is still the better liar. And I prefer a beautiful lie to Abby's honesty about her crappy existence.
"When is a monster not a monster? Oh, when you love it."
Re: Who loves Abby?
I still think that Let Me In should not have been made but I saw the film and I just took Abby and Owen's story as a different interpretation. Though it was hard since in the Abby and Owen scenes I felt like I was watching the same dialogue from Let The Right One In. Two scenes that I did like though was when Owen and Abby are returning from the arcade and he tells her that why would she want to live in this place since there is nothing good and that he looks forward to leaving one day. The other one is when he show her the morse code and she is interested in the book that he is holding and he says its a boring book that they are reading for school. I also felt as I watch the film that even though I wanted to feel closer to them I felt distance and coldness. Still I liked the film and found that Owen and Abby find in one another what they are looking for.
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a_contemplative_life
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Re: Who loves Abby?
Well, um...you have a valid point. Not sure I know the answer. Maybe I'm a sucker for tragedy, too?sauvin wrote:cmfireflies wrote:that's beautifully said a_c_l. Feeling this way, how could you bear to kill off Eli so many times