One thing I realized after reading the sequel is that Eli grew up in a time where both male and female babies both wore dresses as children. Boys weren’t expected to wear pants until they hit a certain age, and Eli, well, never hit that age. Remember he’s actually younger in the book then he is in the movie. Obviously he would be aware times had changed in regards to dressing up but I would imagine after wearing dresses for so so many years Eli would find them comfortable and see no point in changing. Also, like you say, dressing as a little girl might be a way he attracts prey.
@jacklegend57987 жыл бұрын
I think this is your best review so far; it's certainly your most nuanced. Thank you for not shying away from the deeper implications and hard discussions of oft-ignored subject matter.
@Simon-ow6td6 жыл бұрын
As a Swede, I can with confidence say that you nailed the pronunciation of the Swedish title. Yep, A+ for sure. Like my grandma used to say it.
@isabellas91537 жыл бұрын
I never connected this to transgender issues, but of course I see the possible allegory. But I think it was made pretty clear in the book (the swedish version) that Eli does not think of himself as a girl. He's just grown used to presenting that way, but he really doesn't have a clear gender identity, to him it is a non-issue. The author has commented that the point he wanted to drive home was the purity of Oscar's love; Eli is neither male, or female, or human; but arguably inhuman. He just loves Eli for being Eli.
@PassTheMarmalade19577 жыл бұрын
Yeah, it's just seems to be an unfortunate accident that the author apparently didn't notice that Eli could be interpreted as trans, making his "I only present as a girl because of past trauma, but I'm not really a girl" backstory inadvertently come across as transphobic.
@dustyngarrison89165 жыл бұрын
In the Monster Hunter International series a welcome mat is considered an invitation to clever vampires.
@Raygathex4 жыл бұрын
Oh, nice to see a fellow fan!
@live4twilight4ever4 жыл бұрын
Option C: Eli wore feminine clothes because he liked the style. Option D: Eli doesn't care much about how he looks and just kept wearing the clothes he already had, probably ones that Håkan had bought for him.
@WaferNegresco4 жыл бұрын
Literally me as I watched that part
@KayKay1144 жыл бұрын
I was thinking something like option d. Plus Eli has seen so many clothing trends come and go. Kids don't usually care about fashion maybe that's something that just carried through the centuries. I definitely did not think about it any deeper like this lady has.
@Rotten_Prince4 жыл бұрын
plus men have wore dresses through most part of (at least) western history
@fatezaragosa25403 жыл бұрын
I've always read it as Eli being tans masculine rather than trans feminine (as far as allegory goes) in that he may just dress in a way that allows him to be more safe. Like he has to come out as a guy to Oskar. A boy trapped forever in a genderless body seen as female.
@crysispersists99727 жыл бұрын
This review was absolutly captivating, just like the material it's covering! One of the best film, and book, reviews on youtube!
@supernaturalawesome17 жыл бұрын
This should be a mini series. A couple one hour episodes including everything in the book. That would be awesome.
@oblivionaire87303 жыл бұрын
Eli was likely castrated and sold to the vampire nobelman mostly for wealth or to become a castrato since it was a major thing in the 1800s.There's a book sequel called "let the old dreams die" and talks about what happens afterwards.
@andreafreja74722 ай бұрын
why did they castrate young boys back then? what does castrato mean?
@ParadoxicalIntention7 жыл бұрын
CS Lewis once said that the push to be an adult, the desire for grown up things because they are grown up is the mark of childishness. Children WANT to be adults, they want to like adult things because they see older kids and the adults in their lives being adults. But when you're an adult, you kind of want to go back because being an adult is hard, and not as cool as it looked when you were looking at it from the outside. So, embrace your inner kid, and don't listen to all those nasty, judgemental adults who say things like "Aren't you a little OLD for that?". Be happy with your truth instead.
@sebastianevangelista49212 жыл бұрын
This channel doesn't get enough love.
@xingcat7 жыл бұрын
It really is an amazing novel, and it's something that couldn't be captured entirely in a movie. I think the tradeoffs in the Swedish version were really decent, and I haven't seen the American version yet. Great episode! I'm always happy to see a new Maven episode show up!
@Kaefer19737 жыл бұрын
I only saw the American movie so far, but it felt like a movie that's good for people who don't know the source novel but kinda disappointing for these who do.
@GriffinPilgrim7 жыл бұрын
Actors were amazing though.
@williamsyd6134 жыл бұрын
i think ur looking too deep into the transgender part. i am transgender and i didnt see it as such, eli never said that he was a girl, he doesnt present female either. ppl assume that hes a girl and he expresses that he is not, he was just mutilated before he hit puberty so he did not go through a male puberty. i think the subtle gay undertones of oskar accepting eli anyways is important, but the american removes that by saying that abby isnt a female, but not a male either.
@abqnm88114 жыл бұрын
Thank you for this response. I had the same thoughts but I was having trouble putting it into words. Usually I very much agree with the Maven's reviews. She was off on this one.
@greatdude72793 жыл бұрын
People in modern times also don't realize how "popular" castration of young boys in the past was. You had literally several job occupations built around being castrated before puberty.
@nonfictionfeminist2 жыл бұрын
How did I not know this channel existed?? I have a growing vampire bookshelf, and my vampire book reviews always mean bringing out my fangs!
@dzhellek7 жыл бұрын
3:12 All of which are found in abundance during any Swedish winter.
@katherinewalton-myers93377 жыл бұрын
Can you do "A girl walks home alone at night"??
@filmmakerdreamstudios Жыл бұрын
If there was one thing I didn't like about the film, it was the fact that they downplayed Eli's affection for Oskar and implied that she was just using him the whole time. The real horror in the original book isn't the vampire. It's the humanity. The society they lived in took away Oskar and Eli's childhood, abused them and turned them into monsters. Oskar through his bullies and Eli through the great "vampire". That's why it's so powerful when they connect with each other. For the first time, they're allowed to behave like children again. That's what it was about in the end. It wasn't about Oskar becoming Eli's new helper because the vampire in a way doesn't exist. It was about two children turning their backs on a society that has let them down. And the adaptations have taken that and turned their relationship into something it wasn't.
@j.d.46977 ай бұрын
I don't see it that way, but like with every film adaptation of books it was just way too short to depict everything.
@kumonoameai7 жыл бұрын
I'm so glad you reviewed this Maven! I've been hoping to hear your opinions on the Swedish film for a while. Great job! ^.^
@AHatredOfEs7 жыл бұрын
Fucking PROPS to the Maven for editing in that warning that the shot was a prop mannequin cause that would have haunted me a little today if that text wasn't there
Mentally and physically 12? Forever? That's my worst nightmare.
@shawnlopez23177 жыл бұрын
I've been waiting a while for this one to come up and as always you don't disappoint. Great job!!!!
@Araxt4 жыл бұрын
I'm so happy to see the last comments are just from a few days ago, and the last one... from just 8 hours ago!!! all these threads on youtube seem so dead already since people don't watch much videos about this movie anymore. So I'm glad that's not the case here Also loved your video. You have a lot of personality and charisma, speak in a very fun and poethic way. Your personality kinds of reminds me a lot of "Anne with an E"; so imaginative, outgoing, with a lot to say and critize about, but in a deep and interesting way!
@regnvalimix7 жыл бұрын
When you pronounced the original title I died XD and then I rose from the grave. Thank you
@BaneClandestine4 жыл бұрын
Does Eli project as female? He does not in any discernible way. He does not wear particularly feminine clothes. He does not choose to wear makeup. No bonnets, ribbons, even feminine things from older periods. It is us, the audience that projects femininity onto Eli. Helped by the fact Elias is played by an obviously female actor. However going by the logic of the film/book Eli is truthful when he says he is not a girl, he knows he was born a boy, losing his gentials did not make him a girl. There is no conflict in his mind. It is us the audience and his victims that perceive Eli as a girl, he is simply disinterested in our perception of him.
@thebee98534 жыл бұрын
Did you read the book? Even after revealing himself to Oskar, he picks out a oversized dress from his (oskar's) mother's room instead of taking the appropriate sized male clothes offered to him.
@thebee98534 жыл бұрын
@Unrelenting Dark I have, but that's irrelevant to the topic. The films (especially the American one) are watered down versions of the book and you can't get an accurate description of the characters or fully understand their motivations by just going off of them. This is why she spends so much time talking about the book instead. Besides, this topic doesn't even exist if we're going by the films. Because the films don't explicitly show that Eli's actually male.
@calanives32706 жыл бұрын
Have you heard that you can lean a broom against your door to keep vampires from coming in? When the vampire sees the broom he is compelled to count The bristles. He will forget why he came to your door.
@krashd6 жыл бұрын
Maven wants vampires to visit though.
@Emppu_T.5 жыл бұрын
Never heard that, but its an old way in the country side to signal if somebody's home or not
@ashinali2947 жыл бұрын
Hello. As an English literature university students, currently writing an essay on gender and vampires, I must say I thought this review was very well put together and argued. There's an unusual amount of negative comments on this video and I can't say I fully understand why.She never said the critic flat out "was" bigoted etc. Only that the text can be problematic and allow for this interpretation. One of the first things you learn at university is when it comes to art as long as you have evidence to back up your reasoning then a point of view can be valid. The trans allegory is a very well argued reading and to some it could even be overt. When I first heard about the book and it's plot a while back I almost immediately clocked it as a possible trans or non binary allegory. Mentioning how something can be interpreted to do with gender isnt "political" anymore than any other review where she suggests that vampires could be about homosexuality or responsibility etc. Just because it's a more uncomfortable topic doesn't make it more "political". uncomfortable topics need to be discussed not silenced. Gender is very relevant to modern day society and no matter what side of the arguement your on nothing is achieved by silencing discussion. If you don't like the discussion there's a chance you might not be on the "right" side of it.Anyway that all aside I enjoyed the review and as a trans male I thought the topic of gender was handled wellLike I said I don't know why there's so many negative comments on this one all because she brought up LGBT readings. I thought we were passed the era were we silenced discussions like this?
@yenee947 жыл бұрын
Thank you for being a voice of reason. And unfortunately, no, I don't think we are passed the era where people try to silence opinions that they disagree with. The Internet is a very good tool for giving that power to people.
@MoonShadowWolfe7 жыл бұрын
Well, happily the angry commenters don't actually have the power to silence anyone. Some would just like to.
@Ungoliel.6 жыл бұрын
@Ash Inali Thank you. I could not have put it better.
@Emppu_T.5 жыл бұрын
The fact that we're allowed all to debate about this is a good sign
@camillecharrois2130 Жыл бұрын
As someone who experiences some level of gender dysphoria I have another reading regarding the whole Eli's gender/genital presentation (for the sake of my explanation I'll refer to Eli as He/Him). As someone born AFAB but felt like I should have been born male (though now I identify as nonbinary), as a child I often felt like my 'true genitalia' had been severed away, that I was mutilated. I remember having a panic attack when I learned of the gender reassignement intersex people go through at birth because it 'confirmed' my suspicions. So the way I read it is as this, Eli feels like he's being denied his real gender but by having someone else recognising him for who he is despite the lack of 'appropriate genitalia' he can accepts his situation with more serenity. Add the fact Eli is a child and cannot undergo sex reassignement surgery this form of acceptance is truly the only way for him to come to terms with his real gender. But then that's my reading based on my own experiences, I can understand if others disagree
@StewardofAutumn5 жыл бұрын
I always thought Eli said he was a "girl" was because little girls can be passed off as being more delicate and more people are willing to help them. He used that gender as a means to bribe and mentally conform her human companions as helpers. Eli,I always figured was sexless, his thought process is just perhaps just to fit in as he never really hit puberty. He is forced to be an adult even when he is trapped into conformity of being an adult;an adult mind and baggage but lacking the full concepulization. I guess that is what makes a vampire special they are a negotiation of several extremes. Life and death, purity and impurity, and old and young. I feel we are placing so many complications on an already decent plan.
@TheNumnutRandomness7 жыл бұрын
Angry reviews are all well and good, but I find reviews of something someone has a deep passion for so much more satisfying. You love this book enough to point out its strengths and flaws. I'm gonna try to borrow this from the library when I can, because it sounds like a captivating read!
@mimimurlough5 жыл бұрын
Great review! I never thought of the trans angle, but of course that's a very relevant issue to ask about, especially since it probably reflects in some of the other boomer-with-cultural-capital that shines through the book. I completely understood it when they cut out the boner paedo zombie, though that still is one of those bonkers aspects of the book that make it so memorable. It manages to be both deep, goofy and kinda disturbing (not always in a good way) and sweet all at the same time. Fun fact: The russian submarine hunt was an actual hysteria for the time period. There was actually a russian submarine that randomly beached itself in the archipelago (dubbed Whiskey on the rocks) and the hysteria resurfaces every once in a while when a blurry shot of some driftwood reaches the wrong journalist.
@scouttyra4 жыл бұрын
Or a random dude takes his wood burning stove with him on a boat. (Pretty obscure reference, sorry)
@DarkskullAnderson Жыл бұрын
Well besides most of the other stuff you said, i thoroughly enjoyed this review alot. I never knew anything about this channel at all, until i was just recently searching for let the right one in. I'm glad i came across it when i did though, just you're love and passion for everything that's vampire has got you an instant sub immediately. A very humourous and quite entertaining review indeed, love it.
@user36able3 жыл бұрын
The Swedish film version has a stunningly gorgeous score. It reminds me a bit of the score for Pan's Labyrinth, where one simple lullaby like melody gets repeated, sometimes in a sparse and sweet manner, sometimes in increasingly luscious and elegant forms. It shifts effortlessly between capturing the whimsical and sweet mood of a pre adolescent romance and the dread filled sense of despair and abandonment that can only be felt by a blood drinking creature of the night (or their companion). I really believe that the score is a big part of the Swedish film's coherence and nuance; it's not either a horror story or a love story, it's BOTH. It's such a magnificent piece of filmmaking. I have the soundtrack, and my very favourite pieces include "Eli's Theme" (which encapsulates the sense of suffocating despair Oscar feels when he and Eli are separated), "The Arrival" (an ominous piece that plays when Eli first moves into Oscar's building) and "Then We Are Together" ( a sweet, soft piece that underscores the innocence and playfulness of Eli and Oscar's bond). And "Let the Right One In" of course (which isn't a song), which is about the freedom you feel once you've found true love. I think what I like about the score is that it's completely sincere in it's celebration of the purity and sweetness of Oscar and Eli's love for one another. It respects the characters (very flawed) view of the world and each other and it allows the audience to kind of - see the world from their point of view. Which is lonely and terrifying at times, but also - beautiful and magical and sweet. Yeah, I love the Swedish film.
@linkeffect827 жыл бұрын
A wonderful review, and very thorough. I never read the book or watched either film, but this review give a great understanding and overview of both that gives me an interest despite their flaws! Thank you Maven!
@corysande49637 жыл бұрын
I love hearing you talk about vampires in fiction so much. Your show is very entertaining and informative. I watch a lot of horror films and the way you talk about tropes and themes is very interesting.
@severalowls3 жыл бұрын
Despite people making any excuse for it to be Impossible for her to be "really trans" in the comments, I'm a trans woman and I found the Swedish film to be a really heartfelt depiction of a young trans girl being accepted wholeheartedly romantically which is EXCEPTIONALLY rare in media. The monster-as-a-gay/trans-metaphor doesn't bother me personally despite it obviously being a valid concern to some people, and instead I tend to find positive 'monster' narratives comforting due to being 'viewed as a monster'. The fact that these characters ARE dangers to others doesn't matter so much to me, that part just makes a more high stakes story. I haven't read the book, but it seems like omitting her backstory where she was "cis until castrated" and considers herself still male was a very good choice and makes the film version a far better depiction of a trans person's experiences whether it was actually intended or not. The American version.... Totally wimped out. If the book was a 'troubling' depiction of a trans narrative, then the American version was a total removal of a trans narrative to the detriment of character depth. The Swedish film, I think, was a wonderful middle ground.
@RnRnR2 жыл бұрын
She doesn't consider herself to be a boy nor a girl in the novel. When Oskar asks her what she is, she says that she is neither, that she is nothing. When he was alive he was a boy but he was castrated before being turned into a vampire. She is referred to with female pronouns when it is in Oskar's perspective and with male pronouns when it's only Eli or when he is with the care taker. I don't think pronouns or gender matter to her that much. She also says that neither a child nor old so I think it's supposed to mirror that as well. She is what people perceive her to be.
@GoingRampant7 жыл бұрын
According to a post the author made on the LTROI forums (unfortunately gone into the void, recalled from memory), Eli is supposed to be male in gender identity, to have assumed the female role out of utility, and to have begun identifying with the persona as a result of trauma but still fundamentally male. It's not good trans representation, but it's not evil trans vampirism either. I personally like the interpretation that Eli is non-binary, that this nature is associated with vampirism because the vampire is an otherworldly creature as a reference to an angelic nature (alluded to with the weeping statue blood motif), and this is capped off by Oskar's description of Eli as "a little bit of everything".
@SparklyPopz5 жыл бұрын
I just finished this book and the interpretation of Eli being a trans allegory is interesting but I'm not sure I agree. I got the impression that Eli is kind of genderless or genderfluid because she doesn't consider herself human, or at least doesn't feel constrained to human gender roles and so just wears 'female' clothing because she likes it/is used to it. Seemed to me to be more of a comment on the idea of gender as a performance rather than a biological thing.
@mcentepede5 жыл бұрын
This is a great movie....I agree the best Vampire movie since the UnderWorld movies. Eli is a boy vampire and was shown to be transgender. which I applaud for doing this. The American remake chickened out and omitted this important key part....while basically copying everything else frame by frame
@maggyfrog5 жыл бұрын
eli adapting this outward female persona is probably a survival mechanism for luring victims / benefactors, which he eventually becomes used to. i think the writer did it on purpose so that the reader would be more affected with the backstory reveal.
@jr-gh6eo7 жыл бұрын
What an incredibly insightful and nuanced review of the book and both films. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your thoughts on these topics.
@hughgabin80685 жыл бұрын
whats funny is that I saw the preview for "Let me in" and actually first watched "Let the right one in" THANK GOD.
@ChaosWarlord7 жыл бұрын
"Let the right one in" Okay, I show myself out now.
@leadingblind16297 жыл бұрын
Totally random and only 1/4 through the video so far but ... did I just hear music from the Japanese stage production of Susan Kay's Phantom?? It probably belonged somewhere else before that but - YAY! Before finishing this video I don't need to see the rest to say THANK YOU! YOU'RE AWESOME!
@jenavevesnowolf134 жыл бұрын
It could be that she just looked quite feminine and was mistaken as a girl so frequently that "she" just got tired of correcting people, having lost the only major characteristic that she had to prove her biological sex removed. My young girls were often confused as boys by strangers and it does become tedious to correct others perceptions on a continual basis when at younger ages, sex isn't all that important. Oscars decision to love "her" regardless of the biological sex "she" is shows their bond is stronger than sexual desire.
@BrendanSlob5 жыл бұрын
Amazing review. I adore this book and movie and you are the only one online who does all three mediums justice. The fact that you have an appreciation for the material shines through and it makes me like you even more..So much I've watched it twice. BOOKS WILL NEVER DIE!
@ВладиславЯмковский7 жыл бұрын
Will you do "Near Dark" review?
@melissabarrera89134 жыл бұрын
when I read the book I interpreted the fact that Eli remained a "girl" as more of a "whatever" kind of attitude, I don't think he cared, he looks girly and people just assume he is a girl from the beginning so why bother correcting them? what does he gain in correcting them? I was a very sporty child so I would usually dress as a boy , and due to some unfortunate bublegum incident
@greatdude72793 жыл бұрын
Furthermore we have to take into account the vampire thing and presenting yourself as a girl is kinda
@arellajardin23237 жыл бұрын
A bit of an odd suggestion for a review, but have you seen the Adventure Time miniseries "Stakes" (more of a movie, 88 minutes)? I remember you putting Marceline in your Top 10 female vamps. It does some interesting things with Marcy's inability to grow up due to her vampirism, her mortality, and several new vampires based on the Arcana.
@gravestoneXD27 жыл бұрын
The Hokkens scene in the hospital when he wakes up is on of the few scenes from any book to really scare me.
@Rotten_Prince4 жыл бұрын
A person can dress however they want to, and that doesn't have to be directly linked to gender. Specificaly a trans person (and/or nb person) is not any under obligation of dressing themselves as a determined gender: a trans woman can be a tomboy, for example. I see Eli's preference for certain type of clothing is principally that, a preference. As my preference for having long luxious hair is exaclty that, a preference; me being trans masculine should not prevent me for displaying "tipically female" personality traits, mannerisms nor clothing/styles. In fact, I have a more androgynouse style preference and no one should dictate if that's right or wrong.
@jojojjbd12394 жыл бұрын
Since I'm Swedish I can tell you, you sound like a Danish person, that was literally danush right there
@jojojjbd12394 жыл бұрын
When you said that the name of the book
@jihadieddie18944 жыл бұрын
Jopp
@bella-tt9hk6 жыл бұрын
I love your channel so much! I’m glad I found your videos and Lindsey’s!
@discrot85687 жыл бұрын
This book review is excellent, Maven. I hope to see you cover more vampire books in the future, even if there's no movie/series adaptations.
@1andonlyzara7 жыл бұрын
That "vampires always welcome" thing would work actually! Something similar worked for Angel in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer show when he killed Jenny!
@MoonShadowWolfe7 жыл бұрын
"Enter, all who seek knowledge." That was pretty brilliant.
@javelincheshire63587 жыл бұрын
I always got confused by that since Angel has been able to enter the school several times in seasons 1 and 2 without an invite. I thought it was only private homes that required an invite to enter. Angel is able to enter the hospital just fine without an invite.
@LadyBoldly7 жыл бұрын
Javelin Cheshire I always think he and Jenny knew that but Angelus was just playing with her
@vaperrecon1653 ай бұрын
I'm a trans feminine person writing my own vampire romance story and this video is on point!
@justgween75737 жыл бұрын
Maven, would you ever make a video about what makes a good vampire story and what doesn't?
@MoonShadowWolfe7 жыл бұрын
She's kind of already said what makes a good vampire story in several different ways as part of other videos, but maybe a specific video would be good. What I'm pretty sure she'd say is, a good vampire story uses the vampire as a metaphor for some human condition, whether it's one they're traditionally used to represent like greed or being an outsider, or some new way of looking at them. Vampires for the sake of vampires are not as good as 'vampires as a representation of an aspect of humanity'. As she's argued, vampires are the most human of all monsters and so they are uniquely good for that. (I personally would argue that title belongs to werewolves, but that's just me.)
@arieltkotz48777 жыл бұрын
I love your reviews and this one is one of the best. Im really liked how you handled the themes in the movie and the book.
@tolzer52176 жыл бұрын
I enjoyed the review, but I think too much hub-bub was made about the "trans" issue to be honest. If someone were to fixate on the trans issue too much, they'll completely miss the whole theme of the story. Elias wasn't gay, he wasn't a transsexual; he was a 12 year old boy until he was castrated against his will-and forever appear as a 12 year old vampire. You did hit the nail on the head when you stated Eli's tactic to dress as a girl: Eli CHOOSES to pose as a girl because it is easier to play the "helpless lost little girl" to lure in her next meal. What Eli DIDN'T expect to happen: after existing for 200 some-odd years, she never found someone who accepted Eli as Eli IS - neither male, nor female-just a vampire that happens to wear girls clothing. Hakan only helped Eli out to suit his pedophilia desires. Here's the thing. Elias was turned before he became interested in girls on a sexual level. Oskar never showed interest in anything sexual at all. He doesn't even understand wholly what "going steady" means. His love for Eli has very, very, little to with any sexual desire or sexual orientation-it's all to do with helping him build his confidence and treating him like a priority-none of which his mom or dad did. The movie is a love story about two kids, one just happens to be a vampire - not about LGBTQ issues.
@NostalgiNorden5 жыл бұрын
"Going steady" is a pretty bad translation of the swedish child-thing "Fråga chans"/Ask change" which is not the same thing as "Going steady".
@tolzer52175 жыл бұрын
NostalgiNorden We have to rely on the quality of the translations. I’ve read a lot topics on different sites that stated the translations had to be edited/corrected for the theatrical release.
@JimothyTheGreen4 жыл бұрын
Great review. Glad I remembered this channel.
@madamefluffy47886 жыл бұрын
Eli is a boy. He never asked to be a girl; nor did he ever refer to himself as one. He was forcibly made into a vampiric eunich by a deranged vampire who wanted to eat his genitals. Meaning, Eli is not - and has never been - trans.
@Ninchennase6 жыл бұрын
Exactly. Eli is not trans. Eli is a castrated boy and as such found it easier to appear as a girl than pretending to be a normal boy. He's a deeply traumatized kid who probably finds this to be a good way to cope with this physical mutilation - she's someone else now. Plus Oskar likes her as a girl. Oh, and since Hakon was into young boys, dressing up like a girl was probably a way to keep him at a distance since sex was unwanted.
@nicksoapdish94786 жыл бұрын
Madame Fluffy yes! Eli neither chose to be in this condition, nor was he born this way. It was forced upon him. He is not transgender, he is a victim, forever developmentally arrested as a disfigured twelve year old boy.
@daviddiaz5296 жыл бұрын
Finally! I say the same thing and get flak for it. I even get accused of defending pedophilia, when those that accuse me of it only watched the movie (American version). The context of Eli's history is important to story and how he interacts with Oskar and Håkan and their motivations. In many ways he is the Swedish Claudia. Also, there are alot of assumptions in this video.
@daniellelanglois73986 жыл бұрын
That's the best summary of that movie I've ever heard
@teejsaurus5 жыл бұрын
personally, book eli reads to me as a trans man rather than a trans woman (forced into womanhood, comes out as a boy) its still suuuper messy and could be read by some as anti-trans "they're forcing transgenderism on our children" rhetoric :| them still wearing dresses could also very much be them just wearing the clothes they like. trans men can still wear traditionally feminine clothing!
@derinedala50325 жыл бұрын
For my money I think he just likes pink clothes and doesn't bother to correct most people. He's prepubescent so girl or boy clothes fit just the same.
@Octu1407 жыл бұрын
Just a little theory of mine: Maybe Eli is dressing as a girl because back in the day babies and toddlers were both dressed in dresses, maybe he is felling safer in a dress because, he felt safer back in that time of his life. Haven't read the books or seen the movies, but I'm a huge history geek, so please don't kill me ;-P And my writting fingers were tingling so I had to get it down.
@fleacythesheepgirl7 жыл бұрын
15 Seconds in and you already had me literally laughing out loud.
@MrKKmusic Жыл бұрын
Great writing and performance - many thx!
@TheDoctor4236 жыл бұрын
I have a 3rd possible explanation for Eli presenting as female... given that they are described as appearing effeminate and are usually mistaken for female from the start... it can be part of an attempt to blend in and attract less attention to herself by conforming to expectations of those around her unless she forms a more intimate connection with them like she does with the POV character here. Umm... speaking as someone who is still questioning their gender identity (though leaning heavily towards trans as the main possibility)... but also has alexithymia (a lesser condition that makes it difficult for me to notice/understand my own emotions and those of others while still showing all the symptoms of actually having normal emotional range)... I can definitely attest to the possibility that Eli just doesn't want to attract too much attention to herself... which again, makes sense for a vampire. Not necessarily a "deceitful trap" kind of thing... and just... not correcting people unless they happen to matter to her/him/them. I might be talking out of my ass here a bit, because I may be a bit influenced by reading Octavia Butler's Fledgling before reading Let the Right One In.
@ivandovranic10015 жыл бұрын
Does any child in Sweden have an actual happy childhood? At some point it seemed to be the case, according to some stories by Maria Gripe I used to read in youth, but this.. they're not aging well as a nation, I'll say that much.
@mberk67985 жыл бұрын
Ivan Dovranić looool
@kloggmonkey3 жыл бұрын
this fictional book in particular about vampires contains unhappy children. conclusion: happy children do not exist in real life.
@loveitftw3 жыл бұрын
Lol it's just a book. Swedish litterature have a pretty big and long history of writing about darker themes and sad shit. But that's just a genre of litterateur. So yes the majority of children like most any other countries have a good childhood.
@Emppu_T.5 жыл бұрын
As a book with no clear cut lines and rules, it's easy for the reader to project their own theories and beliefs. Weather of not the author themselves portrays things by his beliefs or maybe presents ideas by introducing them through characters. The effect it has surely is interesting.
@rodster6campingprepper7 жыл бұрын
I prefer the ambiguous ending of not knowing if Oscar will end up growing old and inevitably being replaced as the last guy was. I quite ike the tragedy in that.
@PassTheMarmalade19577 жыл бұрын
Yeah, I think that's a perfect example of how a text is more than what the author wants it to be. It will achieve its final form with reader interpretation. Kind of like the briefcase theory in Pulp Fiction - People came up with the idea that there was someone's soul in the briefcase, and it's an idea that seems to be really ingeniously hinted at in the film. Was that what Quentin Tarantino intended? No. He says there's diamonds in the briefcase. Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 is commonly interpreted as a novel about the dangers of censorship. Bradbury himself, however, wrote it about the dangers of television.
@T3aoclock5 жыл бұрын
I recognize I am a bit late in on commenting here, but would like to add a few things about trans and Sweden. In the US there is a pretty big debate about trans-rights and violence against transsexuals. This is not really the case in Sweden. Trans people are definitively discriminated against in Sweden, just as in the US, but when it comes to rights and respect, public opinion is clearly pro trans - and young people with gender dysmorphia are treated a lot better here. Thus the parts in "Låt den rätte komma in" about gender identity are written in a swedish context outside of american gender politics, and judging his ability to understand sexuality from how themes written for a Swedish audiences clashes with american issues seems a bit unfair.
@MavenoftheEventide5 жыл бұрын
Interesting information, thank you! I never thought the author really intended the vampire to be trans (though the way he handled gender was a bit troubling from an American perspective, despite how well he wrote it). I mostly wanted to discuss how ALL vampires can be read as a "trans metaphor" because of how a human "transitions" into a vampire, and consider how reading vampires as a trans metaphor in general is troubling. I try to focus on a different vampire metaphor to discuss for each thing I review, and I could have picked the trans metaphor in particular as a general form of literary theory analysis using any vampire book, really, but I decided to apply that topic to this one because it did happen to feature gender issues as well.
@T3aoclock5 жыл бұрын
@@MavenoftheEventide Cool! As a rethorical device to talk about trans-issues it was a pretty good one, I liked it :) I just have a bit of a pet peeve about how a lot of commentary on the American culture/gender/sexuality debate has a tendency to talk about what is happening at your side of the pond as were it universal (or even weirder, as if the US was at the forefront of a change that happened in large parts of northern Europe a decade or two ago). Consuming American-produced culture from a Swedish perspective sometimes gets a bit weird, I might add :) Btw. I have a different interpretation of what John was doing in "Låt den rätte komma in" I can't say for sure how accepting the swedish mood was regarding trans back in 2004, but I am pretty sure a character revealing a incongruos gender identity would have been seen as pretty "meh" by a swedish audience - which I why I have so far assumed that what John wanted to allude to was the horrifying (to swedish sensibilities) situation of having control of your sex and sexuality removed (possibly even as a way to defy the trope of vampires as characters with a larger degree of freedom concerning their sexuality). But since I think your trans methapor is both more interesting and more apt for how vampires are portrayed in general, I will not argue the point further. Great work with the video!
@taniathepirate7 жыл бұрын
I hardly ever comment but I've been watching your stuff since the makeover fairy days lol
@patrickjacobs23822 жыл бұрын
Very good review and video. I watched Let Me In last night. Loved it. Now want to see the original Swedish version. Looking forward to it.
@Publiksquare2 жыл бұрын
Night and day different I recommend the original
@ninavale.7 жыл бұрын
I think it migth be a Scandinavian/Swedish thing with the books being dark and talking of difficult themes but also drawing you in and giving you nightmares. Apart from children literature which is funny and bright and whatnot I'm more familiar with Swedish crime fiction, I've read Millenium and Camila Lackberg and recently Stefan Ahnem's books(which I have with note/dedication from the author bc my mom was interpreter on his lecture/presentation on a festival and yes, I did get the wish of 'sleepless nights' because of the novel content) and they are dark...like the the ways people die are often very disturbing and cruel but at the same time it's not overbearing with the gritty-dark thing. It treats the themes seriously but also has lighter bits and family moments and I guess it might be good realism...life is not a bed of roses but neither it's constant violence and hopelessness and misery for all. I haven't watched Let the Right One In, or at least not in whole as I've seen the Swedish movie in parts and read a bit of the book, but from what you say it seems to follow certain...pattern of fiction I've met with reading Swedish adult books(as I said children's books are different world)
@Khenfu_Cake7 жыл бұрын
Nina .Vale I think what you are describing is the sort of sub genre that is very common in Scandinavian media called 'social realism'. You often find many Scandinavian books and films that deal with social related themes and issues in stories that often have seemingly average, common men/women as the protagonists usually from the middle/lower classes (or what constitutes as such in Scandinavia). Genre films f.ex (sci fi, horror, fantasy etc.) aren't very common in Scandinavia (bit more so in litterature, but not a whole lot), and the ones that do exist often mixes in the social realism aspect, which LTROI is a good example of. And you are correct in that the media here (at least for adults) rarely shies away from the nitty gritty stuff, but I find it generally fairly subdued and it rarely strays into outright gore territory. It's probably done in an attempt to retain the realism aspect, which I suspect might actually be more effective for some people in giving them nightmare fuel, since its relatable nature helps in drawing you more in sort of speak.
@reddragon06247 жыл бұрын
Could you do a series review of ANGEL?
@MaricaAmbrosius7 жыл бұрын
Why didn't "try to come in without an invitation" count as an invitation?
@carsonfball46 жыл бұрын
Also, in all of the other fiction I've read, an invitation once counts as a standing invitation unless revoked.
@maggyfrog2 жыл бұрын
love the book and the swedish adaptation. i actually prefer that they cut the whole part where the pedophile sort of turns into "freddie krueger" monster in the book. the most interesting thing in this vampire story that sets it apart from any other is the need to be invited inside a house otherwise the vampire just bleeds out from the "rejection" if the vampire insists on entering. it makes vampires even creepier because if you inadvertently let them in, you essentially invite the predator in. it also pays homage to the much older folklore of vampire mythology in europe.
@K.C.C.L2 жыл бұрын
Buffy the vampire slayer used the need for an invite also. But I had no idea that was apart of lore,til you told me👍
@karzer1324 жыл бұрын
I just thought Eli thought of themselves as male or just didn't care, but still preferred female clothes out of habit or just cause the character could. Like nonchalantly cross dressing (if that term is still appropriate) or just deciding that they were comfortable in feminine clothing. The prey aspect might also be a probability. And please don't be upset with the use of they, this is used as to not make the wrong assumption as a lot of people debate on how Eli sees themself.
@egodreas5 жыл бұрын
While you are obviously well informed on the subjects of sex and gender, and although I suspect that I would agree with you on most of those issues, I'm pretty sure you are overthinking the message of this particular book. The whole point is that the main characters are prepubescent children. Their love is not of a particularly sexual nature, and while they are aware of the genders that society has assigned them, they are not at all sure of what that means or why it should be important. In the end, they simply decide that it doesn't matter. Which is sweet.
@sardonicusrex68204 жыл бұрын
Think you nailed it.
@NostalgiaBrit5 жыл бұрын
Maven… I love you! ❤️ Thank you SO much for your review & the message within it. ❤️❤️❤️
@reevesavage6 жыл бұрын
Huh...that's interesting...thought she met Hakan like she met Oskar and she was just getting interested in another younger model (not to mention Hakan was getting too old to provide for her properly) the way the movies showcased it
@DavidMacDowellBlue7 жыл бұрын
I love to share these videos in several FB groups, since they offer such quality reviews and commentary. I for one would love you to contrast/compare the Bela Lugosi and Spanish DRACULAs made at the same time on the same sets.
@mardochee20085 ай бұрын
I love this story. It reminds me a little bit vampire junction by Somtow, as a matter of fact the vampire child called Timmy Valentine is a castrated boy.
@Dorthyturner7 жыл бұрын
Please do either Salem's lot or Daybreakers next! :)
@thomasderosso56257 жыл бұрын
_God,_ I love goth girls. Oh, and movie reviews. *Edit:* And intelligent discourse on trans issues! Damn, Maven! Way to be awesome!
@Ninchennase6 жыл бұрын
Eli is a boy who's been playing a girl for quite a while. And Oskar came to like her acting that girl. He likes her looks. I think that's the first and foremost reason Eli keeps his appearance after Oskar learns the truth. Oskar may be questioning whether he's gay for liking Eli still, but in the end it doesn't matter. Eli is too old to care for such bullshit as gender roles. It doesn't hurt him to dress like a girl if Oskar likes looking at him that way. He's used to that. It makes Oskar happy. So why not?
@themadhattress50086 жыл бұрын
I think that's a fair way of looking at it. I think trying to ascribe some sort of transgender allegory to the books is a bit unnecessary, as it's likely something the author never really considered or even intended when writing the character.
@Arakattack016 жыл бұрын
Definitely the swedish "Let the right one in" is one of the best vampire movies despite no one is wearing a corset. ^^
@bewilderbeastie88997 жыл бұрын
I remember starting this book in the summer of 2015 and getting nearly all the way through before... putting it down for whatever reason (likely starting college). I need to pick it up again.
@RainbowThoth7 жыл бұрын
It's interesting, Lindqvist was a stand up comedian before he became a author.
@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive7 жыл бұрын
Fredrik Kåreholt All great comedians were taught through pain.
@LoveSasukeKai7 жыл бұрын
*enraged Swedish noises*
@LoveSasukeKai7 жыл бұрын
(I want to clarify that this is in no way me hating on your opinions, they are all very sound and I agree, but merely an attempt at a humorous reaction to the pronunciation.)
@sadlobster17 жыл бұрын
How about "insert Vampire Swedish Chef joke here." Got the idea from the (former) Spill.com crew's review of Let Me In
@RileyRivalle27 жыл бұрын
+Maja N I had to pause the video and just process that horror for a few seconds. She just HAD to throw in that obnoxious "bounce" every other word, too...
@riakun3 жыл бұрын
I saw the American film, and didn't like the implications that the boy was going to continue the cycle and grow old to raise the girl much like her previous caretaker. The entire thing just absolutely ruined it for me. Then I watched your video and I was so intrigued by the fact that was not how the original story went that I install went and watched the original movie and I'm currently reading the book. This went from one of my least favorite vampire movies to probably one of my favorite vampire stories I've seen so far. Thank you so much for doing this review. I thoroughly enjoyed it
@HikariTheGardevoir Жыл бұрын
thank you so much for discussing this story! I vaguely remember watching the Swedish movie as a kid, so this was somehow kinda nostalgic, though I hardly remembered any of it
@Kingdomheatsox24 жыл бұрын
I keep coming back to this review, it’s one of my favourite of yours, but I never really delve deep into the comments and...wow...some of youse need to chill
@jalejablonsky23966 ай бұрын
Yeah, I just discovered the comments and good lord the amount of bigotry being shown is dumb and silly as hell
@Kakki827 жыл бұрын
Hello Maven of the Eventide. I didn't get to finish the movie couple of months ago because there were so many movies i was trying to watch at thetime but I'm considering finishing it up. Very nice review! May the gods bless your Dark & Gorgeous Vampirisitc beauty ;)
@Kakki827 жыл бұрын
P.S. You should be in movies. I' mean wow I like the way you stay in character. You have unique youtube video presenting style.
@StormBringer19664 жыл бұрын
06:20 "Cut off by his vampire..." *what?* ..I'm learning english, sorry.
@AgentPedestrian4 жыл бұрын
"Cut off by his vampire sire." Sire is an old word for maker or biological parent.
@StormBringer19664 жыл бұрын
@@AgentPedestrian Thanks.
@Tyrgermanic7 жыл бұрын
She didn't already review this? huh. I guess it was right before the first Maven now that I think about it.
@writerspen0107 жыл бұрын
I've never heard of this story before, but the book sounds amazing. And thank you for being willing to address how the book and films mishandle the trans* implications. I hope on the author's part the effect was not intentional, but that still doesn't make it excusable of course. ... On a simpler note, I love the outfit and jewelry you're wearing! Your closet must be incredible to look through.
@Demolitiondude7 жыл бұрын
Got a new Vampire beer for you. Count Orlok black pumpkin ale.
@Tyler-ll2ic5 жыл бұрын
Yeah, I loved this movie. They did the same shit with girl with the dragon tatoo...right after it ended they felt the need to make a remake? wtf?
@FranciscoRodriguez-ue2by7 жыл бұрын
I learned that crossdressing also is not necessarily tied to gender identity or sexual orientation. I have known cases of straight, cisgender men who enjoy wearing feminine clothing. There are also gay cisgender men who enjoy wearing feminine clothing as well. At least this is what I've learned from my college Human Sexuality class. I would imagine it wouldn't be exclusive to cisgender people. Maybe Eli is a gay cisgender male who simply crossdresses?
@ronsterm70764 жыл бұрын
Late to the party...sorry. So, hey, does it make me a slobbering imbecile if I say I don't give a shit about who identifies with what gender, that I just love these characters and love this film as a gut-wrenchingly sad story that has the most disturbingly deceptive "happy ending" I've ever seen?
@jshorto3 жыл бұрын
Agreed when I watched it I presumed when she said I'm not a girl it meant cause she's a woman around a hundred years old or whatever hence not some 12yr old girl but a granny trapped in girls body.