Let the Right One In review

Part coming of age drama, part horror thriller, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is the vampire film masterpiece I had been waiting for. My biggest grievance with this horror sub-genre is that a lot of movies glamorize the vampire affliction, portraying it as a hip-to-be-undead lifestyle. It was fine in classics like THE LOST BOYS, when I was ten years old, but as an adult, what I was truly craving was a film that gave me a serious, hard-core view of vampires (who may not be as happy as we might think and who may be living a miserable life, if you can even call it a life). LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is kind of an ‘anti-vampire’ vampire movie. And, at the same time, it’s so much more. It’s a film about loneliness & isolation, about young love, about the hardship of reaching out to someone. It’s a film that intensely serves a chills and emotional punch combo, and somehow manages to be funny and romantic at the same time!

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is a technical marvel, masterfully conducted by director Tomas Alfredson. The screenplay by John Ajvide Lindqvist (based on his semi-autobiographical novel) is superb, as is the gorgeously bleak cinematography. And the performances by Kåre Hedebrant (as Oskar) and Lina Leandersson (as Eli) are phenomenal, easily some of the best work I have ever seen by child actors.

Oskar is a depressed, bullied and internally violent 12 year old living in a Stockholm suburb in the early 80s. His life is kind of awful. He’s from a broken home. It’s dark and cold in his city, and nobody actually seems happy. And Oskar looks and acts like he may explode and turn to violence any second. One night, at the playground of his apartment complex, he meets Eli, a strange girl, around his age, who recently moved into the area. They hit it off and form an unlikely bond. Unlikely I say, because of the fact that Eli is not actually human. She is a vampire, in town, with her human caretaker, to sort of survive and definitely feed off the unsuspecting inhabitants of this dreary town. Eli will help Oskar fight back against his schoolyard aggressors. And Oskar will make Eli remember what it was once like to have emotions and to be a young girl. But, unfortunately, being a vampire and standing up to bullies can be messy! A jaw-dropping chain of events will occur that will wake up this sleepy little ice-covered town.

I won’t say to much more about this film. Just see it when you get a chance! LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is a unique and unforgettable filmgoing experience, containing several scenes that will haunt me for the rest of my life. Surprisingly, the film is also filled with hope, though in the kind of simultaneously sad & happy way that truly defines the human experience… even if you haven’t been human for hundreds of years.

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