“I’m twelve. But I’ve been twelve for a long time.”
– Eli
SYNOPSIS: Oskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl. – via IMDB
So, after all this time, it has finally happened. I got off my butt and watched a movie that has been recommended to me about fifty million times without fail, one that I will always “get to” but never have. No more, folks, the time had come to rectify that! I must say, I enjoyed this movie. It was slow, dark, took its time going places, didn’t rush too much, and focused a lot on Oskar, and the strange relationship that builds between him and Eli. It’s actually disturbing, but handled so well. The movie is littered with a lot of really beautiful but desolate shots, but it fits with the movie and makes it really pretty to look at, and gives off such a lonely, cold feeling. The movie also handles violence in such an understated manner, which was weird, but totally worked for this. Oskar was a really sad kid, and the bullying he suffered was awful. To watch how the other boys were bullied into bullying Oskar, too, gives that a whole different angle. It was horrible to watch, but to see Oskar gain some hope and fight back was also endearing. The film is rather haunting, and takes a look at how people form connections, and how deeply those connections can run. I found almost all of the supporting characters to be really flat and bland though, meaning that the impact of the relationship between these kids cannot always be see. While I really enjoyed this movie, and will surely watch it again, I was not super in love with it. Maybe because it has been hyped up for so many years, I expected more. That being said, I really did like it, don’t get me wrong. It was captivating, mesmerising and haunting, and well worth finally having checked out. Next on my list is to read the book (at some point – I also have a huge to read list) and fill in missing parts of the story, and clarifying other things.
The book gives more info on Eli’s guardian and more insight into who she really is. I would also recommend watching the american remake “Let Me in” As far as remakes go it is very good. Glad you liked it
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Will keep my eyes peeled for both!
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Sounds really sad in a way 😦
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It was really sad in a way.
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Dear IJB,
This movie is fucking great. Although I actually kind of prefer the remake slightly more. Either way, think of It as the boy and It as the girl and you’ll understand my childhood.
Love,
SSC
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Dear PSC,
I enjoyed it, just didn’t love it. I will have to check out the remake sometime soon. Awwwwwwwwww!
Love,
IJB
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Glad you finally saw this one! : ) I like it a lot, although it’s not perfect. But that swimming pool scene is intense!!
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I love that swimming pool scene! It was crazy!
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Great review Zoe! I thought this was a pretty decent adaptation, although I definitely agree with The Vern and recommend you read the book.🙋🏻
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xD Naturally! I will have a look see for it sometime, sounds like it is well worth the read!
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Great review Zoe! Glad you watched this 🙂 I agree with you actually, it’s a beautiful film in a lot of ways and fantastic genuine horror but it’s not like ‘absolutely amazing’ either. To be honest I think I’ve only watched it once, I’ve watched the US adaption once too. The book blows either film out the water and I’ve read it twice.
I know everyone has already said about reading the book, but it really is worth reading!!! I think it’s a more memorable book than memorable film.
There’s so much left out of the movie and some of it is really dark and twisted! They’d not have got away with making a mainstream movie if it included some of the themes from the book.
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Thanks Em! I am glad it is finally off my plate hahaha. It’s taken way too long. It really sounds like the book is the way to go (but then, isn’t it usually?), so I will have to hunt it down. I will check out the US adaptation, too, at some stage.
Yeah, books can really carry way darker things than most studios want to put on screen.
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It’s hard watching a film sometimes once you’ve “missed the boat” everyone’s talked about it loads and it can sometimes feel like a chore! (for me anyway)
I didn’t mind the US adaptation but I know a lot of people won’t agree with that lol. Totally agree the book is usually better!!! Apart from Warm Bodies….way preferred the film 🙂
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I get what you are saying.
Oh WAY preferred the film (Warm Bodies)! Then there is Drive. I am a HUGE fan of the movie, but hated the book.
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P.S I found the bullying hard to watch too. I found it harder / sadder to watch than the ‘horror movie’ violence.
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It was. The horror movie violence was almost a throwaway violence, albeing dark. But the bullying? Goodness. The things that people do to one another ;(
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I know! 😦 stuff like that is very hard to watch. I remember one of the last scenes when Oskar was in the swimming pool mimicking (in a fun way) the movements of that bully boy (been a while since I watched it so my memory could be a little hazy). You just KNEW the bully boy was about to do something to him with his friends, so sad to watch.
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I adore this film. It changed my mood, when I saw it and stuck with me for days. Such atmosphere and sense of peril.
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It’s a good movie, and the atmosphere was great. It was all broody and heavy and definitely creepy.
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I remember switching over to QVC afterwards, to make me feel normal. It really creeped me out.
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