Director
Tomas Alfredson
Leading Actors/Actresses
Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Per Ragnar, Ika Nord, Peter Carlberg
Genre
Romantic Horror
Language
Swedish
Awards
2008 Winner Tribeca Film Festival for Best Narrative Feature; 2009 Guldbagge Awards for Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Screenplay; 2009 Saturn Award for Best International Film
Date of Release
24 October 2008
Producer
Carl Molinder, John Nordling
Setting and Context
Set in the 1980s Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg.
Narrator and Point of View
From the point of view of multiple characters.
Tone and Mood
Dark, Eerie, Nightmarish, Emotional
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Oskar while the antagonist is Lacke. Eli is both a protagonist and antagonist.
Major Conflict
It follows a young boy, Oskar, dealing with bullying and unable to stand up for himself. Meanwhile, the young girl, Eli, who is a vampire, struggles with her thirst for blood and the need to kill people.
Climax
It occurs when Eli kills the bullies except for one at the swimming pool.
Foreshadowing
When Eli says to Oskar that she will take care of the bullies it foreshadows the final encounter with bullies at the swimming pool.
Understatement
Eli understates her inability to feel cold when Oskar inquires whether she is freezing.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
The director and cinematographer utilize the lighting technique called spray light that is subtle and diffused for the desired effect.
Allusions
The title alludes to the ritual of denying entry to vampires by not inviting them in. It also refers to the act of letting someone love you and loving them back.
Paradox
“I'm twelve. But I've been twelve for a long time.”
Parallelism
The film parallels Oskar and Eli’s struggles as young people navigating loneliness and adversities.
