Let the Right One In: Psychoanalysis (Blog 7)

     Scandinavian films are well known for their psychological thrillers. Their film making style is not characterized by special effects, fast pace, or action aesthetics. Instead, Scandinavian films involve complex plots, characters and play on our Freudian psychological commonalities which act to draw the audience in. The characters and the problems which they face are very relatable and the audience is able to identify with the film. Identity is one aspect that British feminist film theorist, Laura Mulvey, considers of great importance in her study of cinematic gratification. Mulvey describes how audiences identify with characters in films which enable the viewer to project “one’s self into that character” (Gray, 59).

     The Swedish film, Låt den Rätte Komma In, also known as Let the Right One In to English speaking audiences, has characters which are very well developed and share experiences with peers and family members which many can relate to. Yet amongst this familiar setting is a thrilling film about a boy whose first love turns out to be a vampire. The film’s characters deal with power and group dynamics which provide great material for psychoanalysis. The two lead characters, Oscar, the boy and Eli, the little girl vampire, are opposites in nature. Eli is an aggressor, while Oscar is a victim of school bullying. Oscar reacts to his bullying by re-enacting the torment of the day and altering the ending to one in which he retaliates verbally and then stabs a tree with a jackknife. At school, the bullies taunt and whip him until he is bruised. Oscar desperately wants to stand up for himself however, he is out-numbered at a three-to-one ratio of bullies and is paralysed with fear when they approach him. Therein lies a power dynamic within the bully group. The leader scolds the others and demands that they whip Oscar. Although they follow the leader’s commands, one boy cries while whipping him out of guilt and shame and yet he continues, thus demonstrating the hold of the power dynamic. When Oskar meets Eli, and their friendship blossoms, so too does his self-esteem. One day, Oskar retaliates to the bully’s astonishment. Oskar stands tall and proud looking upon the bleeding wound he inflicted on the crying bully. He has a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of relief that overcomes him and alleviates the sore memories of bullying.

       Lancan’s theory on Psychoanalysis describes the awareness of self as a separate entity from the mother which lends to a sense of incompleteness and the “child seeks to overcome that lack and regain completeness” (Gray, 58). Lancan’s theory dictates that one seeks substitutes for this sense of “lack”, in the form of vices or love, in order to feel complete once more. In this film we see that Oscar feels alone, isolated. He is disconnected from his peers and has intimate discussions with no one, including his parents. When Oskar meets Eli, he is seeking partnership to alleviate that lack and this feeling of completeness helps to strengthen him against the school bullies. The companionship which he has with Eli counterbalances his weakness and ‘completes’ him in that sense. Their antithesis of one another is the basis for their attraction for one another and the fruit born of their relationship is their appropriation of her strength and his gentile nature. When Oskar retaliates against the bullies, the appropriation of her strength is evident, and Oskar’s confidence grows. Eli’s character starts off as a dominating figure who manipulates a grown man to murder people and drain their blood for her consumption. She yells at the man and bullies him, yet when she meets Oskar, she appropriates his innocence and kindness. Eli becomes more child-like and vulnerable throughout the film.

     Let the Right One In is a film rich in characters for psychoanalysis. Characters Oskar and Eli demonstrate qualities which both Lancan and Mulvey discuss in their literature on psychoanalysis of cinema. When Eli is forced to leave, their co-dependency is revealed. Oskar attempts to move on but is again confronted by the bullies. As the bullies try to drown Oskar, he is saved by Eli who massacres and dismembers all of the bullies. Eli and Oskar run away together, realizing their co-dependency for completeness. The two characters have many relatable personalities and problems which create grounds for the viewer to identify with them and thus enjoy a greater cinematic experience as Mulvey claims. Oskar and Eli also demonstrate the feeling of “lack” and loneliness which they cure in one another with their relationship as predicted by Lucan’s theory.

Sources

Gray, Gordon. (2010). Cinema: A Visual Anthropology. New York, USA: Berg Publishers.