Låt den rätte komma in - A Review

There's been a lot happening over the last couple weeks, things that I just haven't had time to talk about. I saw Valkyrie, and of course, Christmas and New Years both came and went. All of these things would normally result in a post on this blog, but I've been too busy. The time has come, however, to update my little corner of the internet, as this blog won't write itself.

Last night, I saw Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One in) at the historic Riverview Theater in South Minneapolis. If you're one of the few regular readers of this blog, you might recall when I mentioned it before. I had actually been hoping to see it in Novemeber, but the stars did not align for me, and I was not able to catch it then.

After waiting this long, I was half expecting the build up in my mind for this flick would be crushed when it couldn't live up to my high standards. I can gladly say I was wrong, this was an incredibly good movie.

Let the Right One in tells the story of Oskar, a 12 year boy growing up in a working class suburb of Stockholm in Sweden during the 1980's. He's timid and frail, and very brutally bullied by classmates. All that begins to change for him when he meets Eli, a 12 year girl that moves in next door. They begin in unusual friendship, and become close. There's a twist, however, as it turns out that Eli is actually a vampire. Her companion, we guess could be her 'father' sets to work in their new home trying to provide her with the blood she needs to survive, but manages to fail miserably at each attempt. I don't really want to give away any more than that.

There are numerous elements to this movie that make it so great for me. First, it has all the charm and appeal of a 'low budget indy film', however, it packs a great deal of budget into some solid special effects. Second, the cinematography is amazing, you can always tell the difference between film as an art form and film as a means of drawing box office numbers. The characters are well written, and considering the age of the talent, the two main characters seem to really pull off their roles well. There's just enough blood and disturbing imagery to get under your skin, but not to detract from the story, which is my final point.

The story is amazing. I can't say it's flawless, but it seems to unfold in a way that you're drawn along with it. It's a brilliantly executed tale that so much less about a 'vampire' as it is about two people finding each other. It's tender and touching, there's a clear bond between the two main characters that makes you want them to succeed, no matter how everything works out.

It's not often that I watch a movie only to have it end and leave me with the urge to watch it again.

I've decided to seek out the English translation of the book (the author of which also wrote this screenplay), because the only thing I didn't like about this movie were a few elements that I feel were missing from the story, things that I'm almost certain would have to be in the book.

And still I'm eager for another viewing.