Let the Right One In Review

Posted by Chad Webb on 12.09.2008

A vampire film that all others should envy.

Kare Hedebrant: Oskar
Lina Leandersson: Eli
Per Ragnar: Hakan
Henrik Dahl: Erik
Karin Bergquist: Yvonne
Peter Carlberg: Lacke
Directed By: Tomas Alfredson
Written By: John Ajvide Lindqvist
Release Date: October 24, 2008
Running Time: 114 minutes







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

When Oskar first meets Eli, she informs him that they can never be friends. Of course, the audience knows why, but young Oskar continues to be himself, and as the nights go by, Eli and Oskar keep meeting at the jungle gym outside their apartment complex. A friendship is definitely formed, and through Eli, Oskar finally has someone to talk to, someone who will listen to what he has to say. Let the Right One In is more than just another vampire movie, though it is certainly one of the best for its genre. It is a touching story of a bond between two children who need each other.

Of all the iconic horror movie characters, vampires will always be popular. Yes, they will even outlast the Twilight saga. The mixture of seduction and violence is consistently enthralling. Even though in the last decade, the efforts involving those creatures at the top of the food chain have been mostly mediocre, save for a few, the loyal fans will stick around in hopes that the tide turns, even if it is only for a moment. Let the Right One In proves how inventive, absorbing, and emotional a tale about vampires can be. It is the masterpiece those same loyal followers have been pining for.

This Swedish film, set in the Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg in 1982, centers on a 12 year old named Oskar (Kare Hedebrant), who is constantly bullied in school, and longs for revenge. He encounters Eli (Line Leandersson), a very strange girl, who only appears at night, and is not affected by the freezing temperature. They eventually become close. Along with Eli's arrival sparks a series of unexplained murders and disappearances. Blood seems to be the goal, but who or what is responsible? At this point, a subtle romance has blossomed between Oskar and Eli, and she instills in him the strength he so desperately needed.

I have barely scratched the surface of the premise, but I feel I have divulged too much. The less you know the better. Describing the performances like any normal film doesn't do this justice. Kare Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson deserve much more credit than that. These are the type of portrayals that land somewhere in that space between surefire award contenders and simply exceptional acting. Both play the characters like the kids they are, with no exaggerations and no room for melodrama. They are pure and real. Hedebrant instills a sense of urgency into Oskar. The manner in which he passes the time by himself, or asks questions of Eli reveals a boy who has been waiting for a companion.

Eli moves around with expressions of sadness and loneliness etched on her face, but around Oskar, the confidence she must posses becomes clear. Eli is alluring in a strange way because we know what she must do to survive, but the way she changes Oskar makes the audience adore her. Another notable supporting turn is given by Per Ragnar as the grubby man Hakan who lives with Eli. The characters inhabit their world as effortlessly, and with as much legitimate pain, as those in Kieslowski’s The Decalogue. Maybe it was the cold, harsh atmosphere and surroundings that reminded me, but everyone feels natural in the environment, and even the casts in some great films fail to capture that.

Tomas Alfredson serves as director, and he has been at the helm in shows and movies since the early 90’s. This is my first experience with him, but it will not be my last. Much like Florian Henckel von Donnersmark with The Lives of Others, you just know when someone will be around for awhile. His picture is bleak and grim, but not without hope. His competency in shooting the violent moments is refreshing. One scene in particular shows a man’s fate under a bridge, and it is shot from far away with the darkness shielding just enough of the gore. There is a certain elegance and beauty when the blood flies, and that might be hard to understand in a review, but not when you see the film.

Alfredson’s palette is depleted of welcoming colors, and this is intentional as becoming familiar with the harshness of the area is vital to the emotions involved. Johan Soderqvist accompanies this austere setting with one of the most moving and stirring scores of the year. Every single moment of importance is presented with music that enhances its significance. The script is written by the same person who wrote the source material it was based upon, John Ajvide Lindqvist. His dialogue is true and unpretentious, and Alfredson’s cast delivers the lines with superb timing.

The title holds many different meanings. On one hand it refers to a Morrissey song, but it also means a lot in the story at hand. Let the Right One In could have been just another measly helping of vampire killing and overly flashy characters, but thankfully it wasn’t. It is worth much more than that. To pigeonhole this as a regular horror effort is to insult the undeniable impact it leaves on the viewer, one of a heartbreaking and critical love.

The 411: To no one’s shock, this is already greenlit to receive the English language remake treatment, and it really is a shame that these people who love the film so much that they must remake it for other audiences did not even give the original a chance to get comfortable on DVD. Let the Right One In is about vampires yes, but it offers so much more than just that. Go see it if you can, and if not, wait for the DVD patiently. It is one of the great films of 2008.

Final Score:  10.0   [ Virtually Perfect ]