EXCLUSIVE Q&A with LET THE RIGHT ONE IN director TOMAS ALFREDSON
August 19th 2009 00:24
WARNING! CONTAINS MOVIE AND NOVEL SPOILERS!
Tomas Alfredson
Horrorphile: Both Kåre Hedebrant as Oskar and Lina Leandersson as Eli are extraordinary, delivering beautiful nuances in body language and facial expression (however, Oskar isn’t tubby as he is in the novel). In the screenplay Lindqvist removed Eli’s explanation to Oskar about his gender; in the movie there is only one very brief moment when you see Eli (after kissing Oskar) appearing like a grown man and revealing to the audience his true hidden self. Was it a conscious decision from you and Lindqvist to sustain Oskar’s notion (and the audience’s deception) that Eli is a girl, which is why you cast a pretty girl instead of an androgynous boy?
Tomas Alfredson: Yes it’s it was a conscious decision – if we had emphasised this fact it would easily have been the main topic, a sort of “young gay love” theme. To me Eli is androgynous, and a non-sexual creature. We cast both girls and boys for the part and I was obviously looking for someone like Lina, who gave a stunning performance.
H: Once Lindqvist delivered the screenplay was he involved in any way during pre-production and principal photography i.e. casting approval, on-set consultation?
TA: John was not a part of the shooting process or the preps, but he became a wonderful companion during the editing process.
H: The novel has numerous visually striking scenes, many of which you’ve translated effortlessly into cinema, yet still retaining a lyrical atmosphere. What do you feel you added as director that wasn’t in the novel or screenplay?
TA: All the things you can alight explicitly in a book is so much “easier” because the canvas is the imagination of the reader – and the reader only creates believable images for themselves. A filmmaker’s canvas is a sort of reality captured on film which is of course more demanding when it comes to veracity. My opinion is that you, as a filmmaker, should tease the audience and suggest as much as possible, rather than decide everything for the viewer. In that sense, the audience will become active and you’ll have a dialogue, which of course is much more interesting than listening to a monologue.
Kare Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson
H: Why did you shy from showing any of the more explicit visual references to Eli being a vampire i.e. the claws for feet and hands, the webbed bat-like wings?
TA: As I previously mentioned, this was part of my general strategy as a filmmaker to encourage the viewer to decide for themselves.
H: There are rumours that Matt Reeves’ Hollywood remake (re-titled Let Me In), which he is scripting as well as directing, will follow the novel more closely than your version, what are your thoughts on that?
TA: The book is a fantastic piece, and the possibilities of finding new angles of telling it, must be countless. It will be interesting to see what Hollywood does with the material.
H: The movie is considered an instant cult classic, with frequent remarks that it is one of the best vampire movies in years. Were you aware at all during the filming that you were making something so special and distinctive?
TA: I’ve been working for twenty-five years with film, television and theatre and I do my very best every time. And I just work with material that I find special and distinctive. The big difference is that the audience doesn’t always have the same impression. It’s impossible to anticipate a success like this.
H: And finally, what are some of your favourite vampire movies, or at least ones you’ve found to be memorable and inspiring?
TA: None. Believe it or not, I haven’t seen any!
That last answer surprised me, but then the more I think about it, perhaps that's why Tomas Alfredson managed to make such an unfettered, unique and poetic take on the vampire genre, simply because he was only referencing the literary source material and wasn't at all influenced by any other cinematic interpretations of the vampire mythology.
Let the Right One In DVD is available from Madman Entertainment.
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Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
Comment by Natalina
My Life My Muse
Beta Girl Blog
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Loved your questions!!
Surely it's nearly due on out on Blu Ray soon!
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Got Let The Right One In on DVD in the states and have viewed it several times, love it!
Just finishing the book this week and also impressed with the editorial decisions between book and film.
Great, great work man, a tremendous Horrorphile coo with this Q7A
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
JD, scored it through Madman. Cool, huh? Bring it on I say!
How good is the novel?! Have you still got the link to that guest article I wrote which compared the changes from novel to movie?
I wonder if Matt Reeves version will feature the Tommy character ... and feature the gory battle in the basement ...?
Comment by Linh
Celluloid Fun
I saw Let The Right One In when it screened at the Adelaide Film Festival and really enjoyed it.
I then heard there would be a Hollywood remake and also keen to see that - just to compare and contrast
I especially like when Tomas Alfredson said he wants audiences to make their own meanings from his film. Too many Hollywood films and some independent features spoon-feed us too much so Alfredson's dialectical approach is great.
Excellent interview and questions.
Cheers!
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by Marc P
Comment by Cheryl J
Rhythmatism
Zentertainment
Budget Centsability
I'm going to throw myself way out on a limb here. I didn't like the film much. I thought it was beautifully filmed and the children were superb but - and I'm certain it was because I read the book first - I found it patchy and the narrative didn't flow at all for me. The secondary characters made no sense in the film and were totally superfluous.
OK everyone, you can start slinging insults at the philistine now
I'm interested to see how the US version will turn out. They tend to ruin remakes of foreign films but if they follow the book a bit more closely I think it will be more cohesive. Although they would be hard pressed to find child actors that will trump those of the present version.
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
I love both for different reasons.
If Matt Reeves follows the novel more closely, it will not be a commercial success. There are too many characters, too many subplots ... and then there's the whole pedophilia angle which will kill it dead in the water for the more conservative audiences.
I'd love the Tommy character to be used, and for Hakan to continue on as the undead so they can have that gloriously perverse, nightmarish battle in the basement.
Comment by Cheryl J
Rhythmatism
Zentertainment
Budget Centsability
I also agree there were too many subplots but by just shoving them in the way they did, they didn't make sense. I think they still should remain background characters but give them a reason to be there.
I do admit to it being a visually stunning and very evocative piece of work.
PS: that basement battle was the only part of the book that spoiled it for me. It was just too silly for a book that was so superbly smart.
Don't you love how we all feel different things about the book and the movie? That's when you know something is worth talking about.
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
I think the OTT nature of the basement battle pushed the tone into the utterly surreal, which I appreciated. I didn't find it silly, but more an amalgam of all the nightmarish elements up to that point; adolescence vs. adulthood, life vs. death, good vs. evil, dark vs. light ... and that it is almost impossible to completely overwhelm and eradicate the Darkness (ie pure evil), there will always be residuals ... This is a Saturday morning ramble. I need another coffee.
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Comment by deity_brun
Oskar's father's relationship with his so-called friend.
How did Eli hook up with Hakan?
I loved the discussion I had with my friend after seeing the film.
It was a great movie. And, that was a cool interview.
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Yeah, so did his father turn gay?
Hakan's relationship with Eli is explained in the novel, and it ain't pretty ... If you're interested I wrote a comparison piece on the differences between the novel and the movie at a screenwriting site here(if you haven't read the novel you may not want to read though as it has various spoilers).