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LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
2008
Written by John Ajvide Lindqvist, based on his novel
Directed by Tomas Alfredson
Let the Right One In is a disarmingly quiet film. Violence, and the possibility of violence, lurk around every corner, and yet it is all done with a curious lack of passion...the violence is simply there to serve as a backdrop, building up a wealth of somber dread.
The complex relationship at the film's forefront is between a boy named Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) and a girl named Eli (Lina Leandersson). Oskar lives with his mother. They don't seem to have much of a relationship; when he comes home from school, she's on the phone or watching TV, and when he declines to watch with her, she grumbles, "I'll just watch the show by myself then." He visits his father, and though they appear to have fun together, we sense that there is an unspeakable gulf between them.
Eli lives with a man named Håkan (Per Ragnar), who is not her father. There have been odd murders committed around town, and it is Håkan who has been tying people upside down before bloodletting them. Håkan doesn't want to do this; it's killing him as much as it is the victims. So why does he do it? To feed Eli. When Eli meets the lonely Oskar, who is planning revenge on a group of bullies who have been beating on him, he asks her how old she is. "Twelve," she answers. "More or less."
For you see, Eli is a vampire (and possibly not even a girl at all). Oskar sees something in Eli which helps him cope with the rest of the world, something that allows him to enact those revenge fantasies, or at least their beginnings. He seeks protection in Eli, who seems willing to offer it after Håkan fails her. What does Eli see in Oskar? I'm not quite sure, and I don't want to pass judgment. There are brief moments where it seems as if all she demands is slavish devotion, but for much of the movie she maintains a sweet bond with him which turns out to be one of the year's most memorable love stories.
There is a scene where she asks him to let her in, and once he does, she proceeds to undress and get in bed with him. If there is something sexual about this, it's subtle; Oskar and Eli--no matter how old she is--are still pre-adolescent, after all. They grasp each others' hands and lie there, two outsiders living on the inside together.
This isn't some dumb teen soap opera like Twilight, nor the intelligent adult soap opera of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A real desperation hangs over the entire thing. Oskar and Eli's need to be together isn't merely desire, but necessity; we get the feeling that the only way they'll be able to survive is with each other.
But there's also an element of real horror here. Is Eli, no matter how lovely or cute, still just a monster? To quench her thirst for blood, she of course must kill...and we eventually see the terrifying reality of what happens to someone who becomes a vampire. Being a vampire isn't something glamorous or desirable in Let the Right One In, and the consequences are frightening. I don't want to go into too much detail here, because what you will see onscreen is shocking. And again, it is all done with a bemused dispassion.
In fact, if there's anything wrong with the film, it's that it sometimes seems a little too cold and distant. I'm fairly certain this was the intent of director Tomas Alfredson; he shows us much of what Hollywood would call the "action" bits in wide shots so as to put up a wall between the audience and what's occurring. There are unique and clever set-ups, though at times I wanted him to take us a little closer, to move past the gimmick (for lack of a better word).
Still, it's a minor complaint considering how beautifully it's shot, how tight the screenplay is, and how extremely talented the young actors are. Kåre Hedebrant is suitably lost as Oskar, closed off from emotion and walking through life with an alarming lack of propriety and regard for the world around him. Lina Leandersson is extraordinary as vampire Eli, giving one of the strongest and most surprising performances of the year. I don't think she has a shot at an Oscar, but she deserves to.
Matt Reeves is slated to direct an American remake of this movie for release next year, and though I loved his underappreciated Cloverfield, I can't work up any real enthusiasm for this one. Let the Right One In is such a beautiful, delicate, and lovingly bizarre story that I fear any attempt to mainstream it will bludgeon the life out of it. It's as if an entire nation is scared by subtitles. So before America destroys it, be sure to seek out this wonderful Swedish film, one of the best vampire movies ever made.
- Arlo J. Wiley
November 17, 2008
This piece was originally published on Blogcritics Magazine here.
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