Review of Let the Right One In (2008) by Robert I — 21 Jan 2013

Let the Right One In - At its heart, a sweet coming-of-age story which is so unique and different that it simply defies categorization. This Swedish film, adapted from John Ajvide Lindqvist's bestselling book, director Tomas Alfredson dares to mix pleasure and pain in a way that is both horrifying and tender.

Say you're feeling like a misfit in school. How about finding a vampire to be your boyfriend or girlfriend? Vampires, after all, are misfits too--big time--but their alienation is offset by special powers you lack, such as superhuman strength and the ability to live for centuries. A friend like that sets you apart from the crowd. The rich possibilities of teenage vampire romance are illustrated by two new movies, Twilight and Let the Right One In. 'Twilight' glamorizes and softens being a vampire, while Alfredson's 'Let the Right One In' takes us down a darker road toward more authentic daytime nightmares.

Let the Right One In is poignant, sad, weird, different, elusive, as well as being a fine movie. Oskar is a 12 year old boy who seems to have nothing good in his life. His parents are ciphers in the film; he lives with his mother, who seems to hardly ever be home, and his father is an alcoholic who can't pay attention to him. Oskar has trouble with bullies at school, the sociopathic kind that run rampant in the movies. Into his life comes Eli, a 12 year old girl who moves into one of the neighboring apartments. Eli is a vampire, with an older man who secures victims for her by killing people, hanging them upside-down, slashing their throats, and collecting the blood in a jug. He is so inept at doing this, we wonder how he has managed to get away with it all these years.

This is where "Let the Right One In" starts to get weird. Considering that bodies are being found hung upside-down and slashed, the community doesn't seem too shaken up by it. A neighbor witnesses Eli actually attacking and killing a victim. Although he runs to the local pub to tell the man's friends, he does not go to the police. Neither do the friends, apparently. Nobody in the movie acts like anything strange is going on. But the worst part is, Oskar never really inspires much sympathy. He demonstrates a desire to stab people in the very beginning of the film, and he wanders through the film like he's half asleep. Eli is an interesting character but once you know all her secrets, there isn't much left to her.

There are no long stretches of dialogue in this movie, and pretty much all of the strength of the scenes here come from the scarcity of it. The characters speak in a short and succinct manner, and the writers kept the lines minimal. Some movies absolutely shine with great dialogue, filling up the movie with enough of it to where it is completely driven by words, but Let the Right One In is pretty much the antithesis of all that. No, this movie is right on the mark when it's got our two lead characters sharing a few words and letting the scene speak for itself. More movies need to do that. Let the Right One In's biggest strength is the way it executes every scene like the director's life was at stake, never doing anything that isn't absolutely perfect and having every scene aim for maximum impact. The result is a tremendous movie that says little and yet hits harder than a metric ton of bricks at the same time.

Production values are stellar, with all technical aspects -- lighting, original music by Johan Soderqvist, and Hoyte Van Hoytema's cinematography -- combining in perfect synchronization to produce a Hitchockian like tale that somehow brings love and light into what could have been the darkest drama imaginable. Also interesting is Alfredson's play on the sexual identification of the creature. All femmes become fatales in one way or another, whilst male characters turn into almost bathetic who are never snapped out of a hypnotic spell. Also seen in Almodovar's "Hable Con Ella", technique adds a level of sophistication to the proceedings and further enriches their characterizations.

Everything about 'Let the Right One In' is thought through. Where a more traditional horror film might have opted for endless ultra violence or else cut everything out in favor of a kiddie friendly rating. Director Tomas Alfredson steers the line right down the middle. When the violence comes it is brutal and horrific, but it is never dwelt upon. We are left to question what we just saw rather than see kidneys on display.

When the ending comes around, not a word is spoken as heads begin to roll and the gory dismemberment is matched with the pristine silence yet again for that the film got so right for its entirety, you will either be a convert or you will be nothing. Okay, that is a bit harsh, as this is a heavily layered and textured movie that I still think I need to watch again to fully get, right up there with any of the cinematic titans that got dropped on us, and if you're willing to let this right one in, you will never leave a film more satisfied.

Review Number: 23.