Let The Right One In, a review by Jon
Let The Right One In
5 out of 5
Twelve year old Oskar is an outsider, struggling to fit in at school and left alone to fend for himself at home whilst his mother works nights. One evening he meets the mysterious Eli. As a sweet romance blossoms between them, Oskar learns to overcome his tormentors and discovers Eli's dark secret and the connections to the gruesome events occuring across town. Together they must help Eli be gone and live, or stay and die.Let the Right One In is the most original yet traditional horror film for years, even if it’s about a vampire, which along with zombies have been done to un-death. LTROI reworks the accepted lore into something fresh and definitive. I’m not sure any film before it has quite captured the essence of the legendary creature as well as this. If The Wicker Man is the Citizen Kane of Horror, then this could be the Citizen Kane of Vampires. There are enough of them now to warrant a genuine sub-genre! It is a benchmark to judge others by, along with Dracula, Nosferatu and... well, that’s probably it.
Vampires have become more like rock stars in superb movies like The Lost Boys and Blade, not to mention Buffy, but they play with the idea of secret societies, prophecies and conspiracies. This gets back to the idea of the vampire as an elemental, lone creature, obeying its nature. The twists on the classic rules are so good, you feel this is how it should always have been, especially resting places, inviting one into your home (and more importantly your life), plus there’s no silly Interview With the Vampire style soul searching when it comes to turning someone, even if it does happen by accident.
A lot happens by accident actually. Per Ragnor plays Eli’s faithful guardian (Igor?
), but has no luck. Almost as if his efforts to keep her hidden are simply denying her nature, because when she kills for herself, it’s messily efficient. The effects are sparse, but used perfectly, particularly Eli’s subtle changes and noises (stomach rumblings to snarls!). Director Tomas Alfredson is at pains to show the violence as awful as it would really be. And let me assure you, this is powerful stuff at times even if the nature of the story might lead you to think punches are pulled.
In that sense, and aesthetically, it is probably closest to Romero’s Martin, but its proud genre roots means it’s far more watchable despite the cold and melancholy story that unfolds slowly with meticulous attention to detail, supported by Johan Söderqvist’s beautiful score, ranging from delicate piano to something akin to Bach. The screenplay is disciplined in an old fashioned way that Hollywood forgot how to do and it understands drama properly, never resorting to hyperbole. As
Goodguy has commented before, Alfredson builds wonderful visuals out of a very bland setting (perhaps what Argento tried and failed to do in Tenebre).
We still have the glamour and seduction, but delivered so sweetly and naturally. (Thanks to
Achim, I hadn't spotted the real meaning of the wonderful moment with the Rubik's cube!) It doesn't matter that Eli (beautifully played by Lina Leandersson) is even aware of what she is doing because the story is about the relationship. Is she conscious of the veneer? She certainly knows she isn’t a “girl” as such and there has been a lot of discussion about her sexuality, but the film is perhaps stressing that Eli is a Thing. I’ve said recently that Horror should always have something the viewer can’t rationalise and this may be relevant here. Like Oskar, we’re drawn into sympathising with Eli, even though we can’t work out what she is or if she deserves it. Actually of course, Oskar doesn’t care because he’s smitten.
There are other changes from the book, reducing the role of Håkan to something more straightforward and making readers gnash their fangs! But John Ajvide Lindqvist has shown maturity in streamlining his own story to suit a more aesthetic, focused film. That’s the sign of a good adaptation. A book has room to explore characters more deeply, but a screenplay needs to find an audiences emotion and hold it consistently.
Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant, another note-perfect performance in a great cast) is that focus, the real story, and playing it out with children is a masterstroke because you can understand his innocence and desire to believe in fairytales. People are dying, but he’s a bullied outcast, a loner excluded by his peers and even his parents (there’s a heartbreaking moment with his beloved father, showing there is even a gap there), so no matter what he learns about Eli or what they may do together, she is giving him a purpose. (Note how he never reacts to the bullies, even when they really hurt him).
The final scenes continue to challenge the viewer without resorting to a cheap twist and it’s been dismissed by some as that awful term “tacked on”, demonstrating they don’t understand how narrative works! Actually it is a superb sequence. Essentially the story was complete, except for understanding how Oskar will move forward.
It brilliantly brings everything together. Oskar accepts fate, rather than fighting it (the moment in the swimming pool), so it’s a happy ending because he is absolutely committed to Eli and has found someone who needs him. But has she simply groomed him, as is her nature? And again, does she even understand that?
I know I’ve gone on. A bit.
But I think this is very important and special film. Anyone interested in Horror, or the now acceptable Vampire genre in particular, should experience. Heck, anyone interested in film should see it. It is beautiful and poetic, and plays out with assured confidence by all involved.
(From Jon's Marathon of Horror! 2009 on October 24th, 2009)
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May 17, 2024, 02:01:48 PM
