Chattanooga Pulse

Written by Phillip Johnston
Wednesday, 28 January 2009 18:35

The film is about Oskar, a blond boy of 12, detached from his family and bullied by his schoolmates, and his unlikely connection with an affable young girl who’s recently moved into the apartment next door. Her name is Eli and she is a beautiful (but usually disheveled) girl of 12. She has a secret, too-a secret that keeps her out of the sunlight, makes her only able to come into a room when asked to enter, and compels her father to harvest human blood for her sustenance.

The movie never tells us her secret outright and the word “vampire” is never uttered. Eli’s curious case must be inferred-just one example of the film’s masterful nuance.

Of course, when Oskar finds out her dark secret, he is shocked and horrified. Still, Oskar learns to accept Eli’s struggle and understand the pain it causes her as just as difficult as his own. From this, a bond is forged. Through her counsel, Oskar musters the bravery to fight off his schoolyard tormentors and Eli gains the love she so desperately needs.