Review of Let the Right One In (2008) by Adam K — 13 Mar 2014

An incredibly sweet, unusual love story, one of the only great ones I can remember or care about. The "ancient being presenting as a child" trope (Spice and Wolf is the only other I can think of but surely there are more) will makes for strange and end interesting relationships, especially wrapped up in tragedy, as it is here. The small-town bleak winter setting encapsulates the steady melancholy of Oscar and Eli's struggles, the way they feel permanently oppressed by who they are, at least in relation to society. It's a great example of what genre fiction can achieve when it employs its superficial trappings and mythology to effectively amplify and explore human experience.

I agree that the adults in the film seem paper-thin compared to the child protags. Eli's father is a deeply tragic icon but there isn't much pathos in it since he's barely a person in the film. The other adults are of much less consequence.