Let the Right One In
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Let the Right One In
Let it be known that I am not usually a fan of the vampire movie genre. The idea of an somewhat immortal being sucking blood from victims and all that stuff never really appealed to me. The only vampire-related film that I remotely like is probably Interview with the Vampire, but it was really because of the concept of interviewing a vampire that got me interested in the first place. Everything else from the movie, including Antonio Banderas as a vampire, was pretty damn ridiculous. I didn't even like the Blade series, which were more like action movies more than anything else. The truth is that, like zombie movies, vampire movies just don't work for me for the most part. It isn't really because of how unrealistic things may be, though it's not like I can put a finger on it for the most part. It just doesn't sit right with me, and I am sure there is a genre of movie out there that you know just doesn't do it for you, most of time. But then once in a while, you get a movie like Let the Right One In, much like what 28 Days Later did for me for the zombie movie genres. They are just different from what you'd normally expect from a conventional version of a movie in that genre, and let me just put it out there before I move along with the review - Let the Right One In is probably the best vampire movie I have ever seen.
Let it be known that I am not usually a fan of the vampire movie genre. The idea of an somewhat immortal being sucking blood from victims and all that stuff never really appealed to me. The only vampire-related film that I remotely like is probably Interview with the Vampire, but it was really because of the concept of interviewing a vampire that got me interested in the first place. Everything else from the movie, including Antonio Banderas as a vampire, was pretty damn ridiculous. I didn't even like the Blade series, which were more like action movies more than anything else. The truth is that, like zombie movies, vampire movies just don't work for me for the most part. It isn't really because of how unrealistic things may be, though it's not like I can put a finger on it for the most part. It just doesn't sit right with me, and I am sure there is a genre of movie out there that you know just doesn't do it for you, most of time. But then once in a while, you get a movie like Let the Right One In, much like what 28 Days Later did for me for the zombie movie genres. They are just different from what you'd normally expect from a conventional version of a movie in that genre, and let me just put it out there before I move along with the review - Let the Right One In is probably the best vampire movie I have ever seen.
The story begins with our protagonist, Oskar (Hare Hedebrant), a social outcast at school who is reserved mainly to himself most of time. Oskar has little friends at school, and the ones who bother to talk to him are also the ones who bully him on a daily basis. His parents are divorced, and they are usually too busy with their work to really care about how Oskar is doing at school. That is also why Oskar has a somewhat Columbine-shooter personality, cutting out newspaper articles on brutal murders and playing out scenes in his bedroom where he stabs the bullies at school with a dagger that he has. Until one day, as he was hanging out in the playground all by himself, he chances upon his new neighbor - Eli (Lina Leandersson). Eli is a strange girl who wears too little clothes for the weather. She doesn't feel cold, and she appears only when the sun goes down. Oskar notices the weird stench on her body at times, but never suspected her for a second that she was also the same person responsible for the brutal murders in the neighborhood recently. Oblivious to Eli's darker side, Oskar slowly falls for her, not knowing the repercussions that could come along with such a relationship.
I know, you must be thinking about Twilight right now. You know, that movie with the vampires and the guy with the hairstyle that looks like it was done by a blind man with no fingers. I haven't seen Twilight before, nor do I intend to watch it. The synopsis just sounds like the wet dreams of a writer who has fantasies about making love to a vampire somehow. This film is on the other end of the spectrum, in the sense that it does not involve that sort of sexual relationships. Here we have two children, liking each other for the company and nothing more. Oskar is a social misfit, isolated from the people around him, and hangs out with himself most of the time. Eli, being a young vampire, is forced to live a life of solitude because she has to move from places to place all the time. That is also why they make a perfect couple, because of the companionship that they get from one another. Eli only wants Oskar's friendship, and Oskar just wants her to be his girlfriend without any agendas or reasons. He likes her for her, and it is as simple as that. It is less of a horror movie to me, but more of a story about friendship developed out of empathy. There is such warmth in the way that they interact that you cannot help but like these so-called misfits.
You get the usual set of rules that vampires have to abide to in the human world. You know, you can't be exposed to light, you feed on blood all the time, you have to be invited into a house before crossing the threshold, and your bite could either kill or infect your victim. Eli is the old school classic vampire I'd say, though she is only physically twelve. I like how you are not treated to how she came about to be a vampire, what happened in her past, and who really was the man who was taking care of her at the very beginning. You are viewing the film from Oskar's perspective, innocent and confused for the most part. The steps that Oskar take to find out more about Eli is fascinating to say the least, at least that part remains true to most vampire movies out there. It's also refreshing to see a vampire who isn't made out to be some unrealistic female vixen with her sexuality turn up to hyperdrive. She doesn't try to seduce Oskar, and neither does Oskar try too hard to make her his girlfriend. Sure, he offered a pack of sweets and little things like that, but even Oskar was confused about what it mean to "go steady" with a girl. They were both lonely individuals who needed one another, and that made the story different from all the other vampire films - because it was so innocent and sweet.
But then again, to say that the film is "sweet" would be strange, because there are parts of the film that are genuinely gruesome and bloody for the most part. I have to commend the director for his expert treatment of the scenes. Everything from the first attack under the bridge, to the scene at the hospital, to the scene when a man goes into her house to investigate. They were all done with such brilliance that you can't help but to move to the edge of your seat and to bite on your lips. The scenes whereby the man who lives with Eli had to harvest the blood of the victims felt like something the Coen Brothers would make, the way it felt so matter-of-fact, something that is a trademark of the brothers. This isn't really a spoiler, but take note of the scene towards the end of the film where Oskar is forced to hold his breath underwater for three minutes. The thing about horror movie is that you don't need to show the audience what happens to let them know what happened. In this case, you don't actually get to see Eli put her teeth to the neck of her victims. Most of the "action" happens behind doors or above the surface of swimming pools. Yet, you can't help but imagine, and like most imaginations, they bring you to deep dark places.
I am beginning to wonder, with this film as well as Slumdog Millionaire, if the adult actors and actresses really deserve the kind of salaries they are getting for their work. Let's face it, the best actors in Slumdog Millionaire were the youngest versions of the characters. The oldest versions were there probably because they looked good on camera, and that's about it. The real beauty of the film was in the acting of the child actors, and the same goes for the ones in this film. Hare, who plays Oskar, is an interesting choice with his blonde hair and pale skin. He effectively made the character feel remote and withdrawn, and all that characteristics fade away as he gets closer to Eli. Lina, who plays Eli, is also extremely good, crafting a character who is both mysterious and compelling. The adults play in the background this time around, and most of them are like food to Eli anyway, so it really doesn't matter if they are great actors or not. The only one who had some kind of performance on screen was probably the lady who gets infected by Eli, and as a result tries to kill herself in the hospital. That scene is probably one of the coolest vampire-death scenes I have ever seen.
From the trailer, which is rather misleading, most people are probably going to treat this film as a horror film. It does have its horror elements, but it is still a film about friendship at heart. It does not rely on the traditional "BOO!" moments to get its point across to the audience. It creates an atmosphere, with the dark nights and the snowfall, you can't help but be chilled by the setting of the film by itself. Coupled with the masterful treatment of the scenes by the director, he layers everything until the climax and then lets go of his grip on your heart. It isn't a particularly scary film, and I don't think that the director is trying to aim at that for the most part. Twilight is a vampire film that happens to have romantic elements, while this film is a romantic film that happens to have vampires. The relationship between two relatively unrealistic teenagers can be said to be more realistic than many of the adult characters out there in the cinemas right now. Don't be disturbed by the images in the trailer, because this film is not meant to be a horror film. It has vampires, it has blood, but it has a lot of warmth and a lot of heart as well. Just watch it with a open heart, and you will love it like I do.
9.5/10
P.S. I don't think I mentioned the fact that this is a Swedish movie.
P.S. I don't think I mentioned the fact that this is a Swedish movie.
This entry was posted
on Sunday, March 01, 2009 at 2:00 PM.
You can skip to the end and leave a response.
