Låt den rätte komma in (2008)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Tomas Alfredson

Writers:

John Ajvide Lindqvist (novel)
John Ajvide Lindqvist (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 October 2008 (Norway)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Eli is 12 years old. She's been 12 for over 200 years and, she just moved in next door.

Plot:

Oscar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl who turns out to be a vampire.

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Vampire | Blood | Suburb | Corpse

Awards:

56 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Kåre Hedebrant	...	Oskar
Lina Leandersson	...	Eli
Per Ragnar	...	Håkan
Henrik Dahl	...	Erik
Karin Bergquist	...	Yvonne
Peter Carlberg	...	Lacke
Ika Nord	...	Virginia
Mikael Rahm	...	Jocke
Karl-Robert Lindgren	...	Gösta (as Karl Robert Lindgren)
Anders T. Peedu	...	Morgan (as Anders Peedu)
Pale Olofsson	...	Larry (as Paul Olofsson)
Cayetano Ruiz	...	Magister Avila
Patrik Rydmark	...	Conny
Johan Sömnes	...	Andreas
Mikael Erhardsson	...	Martin

MPAA:

Rated R for some bloody violence including disturbing images, brief nudity and language.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Sweden:15 | USA:R | Finland:K-15 | South Korea:15 | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Germany:16 | Denmark:15 | Norway:15 | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:MA | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | Italy:VM14 | Ireland:16 | France:-12 | Mexico:B15 | Portugal:M/18 | Iceland:16 | Poland:15 | Spain:13 | Netherlands:16 | Ireland:18 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Blackeberg, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company:

EFTI

Trivia:

Several tricks were used to create the right sound effects for some of the gorier scenes. Biting into sausages was used to replicate biting into skin and flesh, and drinking yogurt was used to sound like drinking blood. The sound of the children blinking was made by the skin of a grape rubbing against each other in an almost 'blinking' motion.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The jar of acid used by Håkan has a metal lid that would be destroyed if the jar was tilted. (In the book, it is clearly stated that the jar has a glass lid.)

Quotes:

Jimmy: You stay under water for three minutes. If you can do it, I'll just nick you.
[brandishes switchblade]
Jimmy: But if you can't, I'll poke one of your eyes out. An eye for an ear, right?

Movie Connections:

References Fright Night (1985)

Soundtrack:

Försonade

A Risk Worth Taking

Let the Right one In is like no other vampire movie that I have ever seen. It is smarter, scarier and more nuanced. It doesn't feel like a thriller, it feels like literature.

The film, which details the bizarre misadventures of a pair of pre-teen star crossed lovers, one of whom is an androgynous vampire, is phenomenal in almost every regard. The details of young Oskar's (Kare Hedebrant) life are spot on. Stuck in that incredibly painful period of post-childhood, pre-adolescence, Oskar is aware of girls, but has no idea how to contend with them. He is small for his age and is brutalized by other boys as a result. He's terribly alone and collects news clips of violent crimes as a way of letting out his rage. One day a strange young girl named Eli (Lina Leandersson) appears on the playground. They become fast friends and things begin to look up for Oskar. Eli even (innocently) spends the night on occasion.

Meanwhile, we are privy to some things that Oskar doesn't know. As it happens, Eli's caretaker is a serial killer of the most brutal order, desanguinating his victims into a bucket. Soon, Oskar comes to realize that his new friend is a bit more than she seemed at first.

After a tragedy of shocking violence Eli is left to fend for herself, trying desperately to stave off the urge to drink fresh blood while also forming a delicate new bond with Oskar.

There is already a remake of Let the Right one In on the way. But don't wait for it. There is no way it could ever hope to capture the magic of the original. It's not just that this film is gorgeously shot. Not just that it is impeccably written. Not just that it is fully realized with an unmatched respect for vampire lore. It is all in the acting. Even if the producers find two amazing young actors, the odds against recapturing the brilliant, melancholy chemistry are astronomical.

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.

Too, there is a great stillness to the film. The first half of the film it mimics Oskar's stage. Stuck in between. Never moving, with no hope of growth. But as things begin to change, it becomes apparent that the stillness is not for Oskar but rather for Eli. Oskar will grow up, change and become a man. Eli is stuck in a much more burdensome fate.

And then there is the quiet, understated ending. Some will find it haunting, others will find it whimsical, I went back and forth more than a few times. No two people will have the same understanding.

This is the kind of movie people beg for. Don't miss it. This is the first time since perhaps Silence of the Lambs that a horror film had a real chance to take home some Oscar gold. And not only that, it will deserve it.

A+