Here is a little ongoing project of mine. Many seem to miss the differences between LTROI and LMI, so what better way to point them out than to use the
most similar scenes?
Interesting that I had to go 18 minutes into what is claimed to be a "shot for shot copy" by some people before I found the first real candidate.
(12 minutes into LTROI)
View at
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xh5tp7_let-me-in-let-the-right-one-in -comparison-part-1_shortfilms
So let's do it! I even wrote a theme song for the occasion (if you can call that little thing at the beginning "writing"...it took about 10 seconds to come up with).
These are the first two scenes between the kids in each film. Seems like the best place to start. I like these scenes a lot. I think we get some real interesting clues about the personalities involved. They are very similar...but also very different. The average movie watcher might think these two scenes are exactly alike. But we like to think of ourselves as above average around here, don't we?
These are my impressions. (and only mine)
Scene 1: The kids meet
Photography
The first thing I notice is the very different use of color between the two movies. LTROI is more white, black, and grey. LMI is more amber and brown. I think this makes the scene more "warm" in LMI and more "cold" in LTROI. Neither is "right" or "wrong" obviously...let's get that out of the way up front. But movies are a visual art form. Setting a mood is an important part of the process. That's why people get paid to light a movie. I prefer LMI because "warm" works for me. Somehow it makes the scene feel more intimate to me....like I'm in the scene instead of just watching it. I could see how someone else would prefer the "cold" approach though.
Music
LTROI uses no music. This allows ambient sound like feet in snow to shine through in a nice way. The quiet gives the scene an eerie quality throughout. LMI has a gentle score at the beginning when Owen stabs the tree. It fades away with a creepy "wind" sound as the camera pans to reveal Abby watching him. I
love that moment. I like what each movie accomplished. I'm not sure I prefer one approach over the other in a big way here. I do like that Abby's arrival somehow causes music to leave the world in LMI. It makes her slightly more "spooky" to me. In LTROI I kinda feel like both characters are slightly creepy.
Dialog
I apparently got the magnolia LTROI subtitles here. (dammit) I'll try to get the others for later videos. Go here for the comparison of the subs:
http://let-the-right-one-in.com/woofy/
The dialog is important in my view. Eli strikes me as having slightly more suspicious behavior. The endless debates about the motives of the vampire make this no small thing. The fact that Eli can make a joke makes me think of him/her as less "sad". That's the part the magnolia subs left out
"I live right here, in the jungle gym." It's an aggressive type joke when you say that to someone moments after meeting them. (It's at this point that I wish I could speak Swedish...who knows what I may be missing)
I happen to like "sad" with this character so I prefer Abby not making jokes at this point. (She gets to make a joke later in the movie after Owen can cheer her up) Adds more of a sense of loneliness, hopelessness, and makes me think she has been around a long time. When she says "I can't be your friend" I believe she means it.
Also very important is the establishment of who is watching who. In LTROI, Eli knows exactly where Oskar lives and he knows almost nothing about him/her. In LMI, Owen knows exactly where Abby lives and she knows almost nothing about him. So if you had to choose which vampire is casing a boy to "manipulate", it would be Eli here. He/she has obviously been watching Oskar. Again, this isn't "right" or "wrong"...some people love the idea of an "evil" vampire.
Costumes
The girls are dressed in a different way. Eli is wearing boys clothes, Abby is wearing girls clothes. Eli looks poor and unkempt. Abby looks even poorer. The lack of shoes for Abby is a nice detail. Makes me think of her as being very out of touch with society. Neither vampire looks like they keep themselves clean. Abby is also wearing a hood, which makes her seem more shy to me.
The boys also have some differences. Oskar has the normal clothes you would expect and a
BIG knife. Owen has his "spaceman jacket" on and a
little knife. Does "size matter"? I think it does.
Oskar appears to be much more serious about being a serial killer to me. Add this to his creepy scrapbook and the kid is a little more frightening than Owen.
Acting
Kare gets a bad rap from some people (including me), but he does have some good moments here. I like his "hmt" after seeing Eli for some reason. I also really like the way he seems stunned after Eli informs him they can't be friends and "that's just the way it is". He pauses to think....and finally makes darn sure she knows he didn't really want to be her friend anyway. The negatives in this scene are the lack of character he puts into "What do you mean?" after Eli says "I can't be your friend". Kare also steps all over Lina's next line right there which causes Lina to repeat it. That reminds you as a viewer that you are watching "acting". A reshoot should have been done there. Overall, he comes off as a strange little kid who is a bit slow to me. But not unlikable. I see him as pretty aggressive compared to Owen. His declaration at the end came off as "offensive" to me. Him striking back at Eli.
Kodi is really good in this scene. His timing is impeccable. When he points out that he lives next door to Abby and notices he is pointing with the knife, you can see the embarrassment on his face as he realizes what it must look like to her. His character is played as the one more open to a friendship. His "Why not?" is played very well. He's a kid that has no friends, but even he can't believe what he just heard. Owen too lets Abby know that he really had no desire to be her friend, but he also adds an "idiot" to the end that is meant for his ears only. I wonder if he isn't directing a little bit of that at himself. The tree suffers more abuse from Owen at the end. I get more of a "angry at the world" vibe from Owen. He seems more sensitive and vulnerable than Oskar to me. His declaration at the end came off as "defensive" to me. Him salving his wounds.
Eli is only seen from a distance. Hard to really see any details about what she/he is feeling. Lina does get a little stunt work in here. She jumps off the top of the jungle gym. I suspect wire work, but it looks cool. Eli comes off as pretty aggressive in the scene to me. The "leap" happens, Eli approaches Oskar in a very bold and assertive way, and informs him they can't be friends.
Abby is played as curious and sad by Chloë. I get the feeling she may have been about to attack Owen or on her way to hunt elsewhere before being taken aback by his strange tree attack. We get a better view of her face which allows her to use her eyes and face better than Lina was able to. Chloë Moretz is very good with her facial expressions so this is a very good thing. I love the way she ponders Owen just as she is leaving....as if she doesn't know quite what to make of him.
One word sticks out to me in these two scenes. "Nothing". I really really like the way Abby says it. There's a deep well of despair in that word as if she is describing her LIFE instead that particular moment. Not being Swedish I don't know if ending the word on an uptick is supposed to mean something different than it sounds to my English ears. But it sounds less "sad" when Eli says it. I also wish I could hear Lina say it instead of the actress they got to dub it.
Direction
The main difference I see is that Reeves wanted to focus on the emotions of the kids and allowed them to be seen in close-up with plenty of time to express emotions. Alfredson appeared to be setting a mood more than building character. We don't see Kare's face for most of the scene and Lina is never seen in close-up. It's things like that which give the edge to LMI for me. Reeves expected the kids to carry the scene in an intimate way and they delivered.
Edge
LMI. I prefer almost everything about it.
Scene 2a Vampire enters
Photography
Same as above.
Music
LTROI opts for minimal music here. It works well. It seems to swell up slowly in the background and supports the whole scene very quietly. It keeps a feeling of tension going along with some "sweet" melody.
LMI gets the same effect but we also get the little "wind" sound when Abby arrives again. This time she doesn't kill the music though.
Dialog
The dialog is very similar between the two movies here. It's the acting that alters the meaning.
Costumes
Same as before. Eli in boys clothes, Abby in girls clothes and barefoot. Owen still in his spacesuit.
Acting
Eli appears to have softened considerably from the first meeting. He/she is acting way less aggressively. We get some better shots of Lina this time and she comes off as very timid and fragile. I got the feeling he/she just wanted to be left alone in an emotional sense.
I really like the little shot of Chloë face when she shows up at the beginning in LMI. She was able to project a feeling of apprehension not shown in LTROI. I actually again wondered if she was contemplating having Owen for lunch....but in a "resigned to my fate" sort of way. When she suggests that Owen leave, I felt it was to get him away from her in a more physical sense.
Kare has another interesting moment here. Right after he says "I've lived here longer than you" he gets a smug look on his face. A "take that!" moment. This further cements my impression of him as "offensive" toward Eli.
Owen again seems more "defensive" a character than Oskar. This is all because of Kodi's vulnerable looking face and acting. I can still feel the fresh wounds from the earlier meeting with Abby.
Direction
This time Alfredson gave us some close-ups of Kare and Lina and it helps give them more opportunity to convey some character moments. He also gave more buildup to the kids first speaking to each other. I found that very effective.
Reeves continues what did with their first meeting. The kids carry the scene again.
Edge
Tie. But I really like what Kare did in this snippet. The increased intimacy in this scene in LTROI was more to my liking over the previous scene.
Scene 2b Rubik's Cube
Same photography and music as above obviously.
Dialog
The theatrical subs claim Oskar says "You can give it back tomorrow." but he only says two words. The magnolia subs say "Til tomorrow". That may be more accurate in this case. Also the magnolia subs make more sense when Oskar says "See you Monday" as opposed to "See you tomorrow" since "tomorrow" had been previously ruled out. Again the weakness of not speaking the language rears its head.
Eli and Oskar have a nice back and forth where Eli reveals that he/she may not be there long. I like what that adds to the character of Eli.
The two different answers to "Aren't you cold?" are interesting. I like both for different reasons.
LTROI's "I guess I've forgotten how" speaks to Eli being very old while LMI's "I don't really get cold" is another one of those honest forlorn answers from Abby. The line does fit in LMI better since Abby is barefoot and we see that's what prompts Owen to ask the question.
Another subtle difference is that Abby does not respond when Owen says goodbye while Eli does. In Abby's case, this could be due to vampire lore that states vampires are fascinated with puzzles. (something I just found out about) But it could also mean that Abby isn't quite willing to be friendly with Owen yet.
Acting
Oskar shows the first signs that he may have a sweet side. He offers Eli the Rubik's cube. But he's not going too far with it...he doesn't actually turn to face Eli, just looks over his shoulder at him/her. Kare is good in this snippet too. Watch him close when he decides to get a good sniff of Eli. It's a small thing, but I like how he did it. His reaction to Eli's confusing "I guess I've forgotten how" is very well done. You can see "WTF?" written all over his face. I'll even say Kare outshone Lina in this part.
Lina gets some close-ups, but I don't think she did a whole lot with it. She appeared to just deliver the lines there. (Or whoever the actress was that said the lines) Her sweet face tells us a lot of course...and maybe that's enough. I feel sympathy for her. Kare carries the scene believe it or not.
This is one of those character moments that Chloë provides throughout the movie. When Owen first turns to look at her, she backs away sharply. Chloë at first displays trepidation and anxiety....which she turns into a quiet determined wariness at the very end (note the subtle jaw-clench). That's the kind of acting I enjoy most. She said nothing with her mouth and a page of dialog with her face.
Kodi makes Owen a sweeter kid than Kare does. He has a more friendly posture toward Abby and actually rises to sit closer to Abby when showing her the Rubik's cube. I really like how he delivers "You smell kinda funny."
Direction
I especially like how Reeves gave us a shot of Abby watching Owen walk away. The two directors seemed to emphasize different things. Alfredson paced the beginning of this sequence slower, Reeves ended it slower. I don't have a real preference for either, both worked for me. Alfredson also gave us a real long shot of Eli's face when he/she was having stomach pains. Something was done to Lina's face there because it doesn't look like her. She looks older. Alfredson claims he wanted Eli to be "a very old woman in a 12 year old body" so that may be what he was trying to convey. Some real convincing pain there....physical and emotional. Of course if Reeves would have done that, he would be accused of being "unsubtle" ("Reeves needed special effects to led the audience by the hand!")
Edge
LMI by a nose. Two great scenes in my book. Chloë's acting made the LMI version slightly better.
