Apr 03 2009
“Let the Right One In” (Norway 2008)
“Let the Right One In” is an intriguing love story about two preteen misfits who find both solace and companionship in each other; all of this occurring while in the backdrop of a modern day vampire horror story. The movie takes a refreshing, yet gory, take on an atypical cookie cutter romance between a vampire and mortal like in “Twilight”. Yet has the same melancholy displayed in “Interview with a Vampire”. More importantly the film has two young actors that can pull it off.
Set in the dead of winter, the film focuses on Oskar (played by Kare Hedebran) a lonely 12-yr-old living in an apartment with his single mother.Oskar is a social outcast who occupies himself by reading books on serial killers and acting out fantasy revenge scenarios against his tormentors with a knife. Strangely enough, although Oskar demonstrates sociopathic tendencies, he lacks the nerve to act these fantasies out.
All of this of course changes when he meets Eli (played by Lina Leanderson) a strange girl living next door to him with her supposed father. Eli is a loner much like Oskar who only comes out at night. As she befriends Oskar, Oskar himself begins to notice that she is not what she seems. She has a distinctive odor and does not wear enough clothing for the winter. As they get closer to each other, they begin to both trust and confide in each other. Eventually Oskar has the confidence to tell her about his tormentors. And Eli reveals, while not exactly in the same words, that she is a vampire.
As the both of them care more about each other. Eli attempts to distance herself from Oskar in order to protect him from herself. It is dangerous for her to be around because she has an intense and ravenous hunger in-between feedings. For this reason she fears that between her long stints of hunger she could harm him. But her love for him can’t keep her away. And her feelings cause her to do things simply to please him, even though it can cause her harm.
As well as having interesting characters, the film also has interesting take on traditional vampire lore. For instance the film displays the symbiotic relationship between a vampire and it’s human servant. Or what actually happens to a vampire when they enter your home uninvited. It also reveals a vampires true form especially in-between feedings. All of these revelations in the movie are interesting to watch in conjunction with the movie’s storyline.
Unfortunately for the both of them their friendship takes a horrible turn for the worse. Eli becomes overprotective of Oskar and acts out with vicious wrath. Thus causing a major conflict and secret for Oskar to deal with and a major body count rising within the town. Leaving the audience to question ‘ Does love truly conquer all?’
“Let the Right One In” is a well told, although slow paced, story of both love and horror. The strange icy atmosphere in combination with the stoic portrayal of Eli by Lina Leanderson works well together. Giving the film a blood chilling feel and look. And in the end rendering the question of the price one would pay for love. The film is definitely worth watching:)
Great revew but this movie is from Sweden, not Norway. You probably looked up the release date on IMDb (Norway seemes to appear first) instead of the production & language country further down.