A week or so ago, I watched Let the Right One In.
I've been watching a lot of horror lately, since it's something I feel like I've sort of missed the boat on. I'm catching up by watching classics like Halloween and The Evil Dead, and I've realized that horror is something that I really loved. Anyway, I saw that Let the Right One In was on Netflix streaming, so I watched it on a whim. I expected a decent, vampire-based horror flick. What I got was a bleak, yet touching romance film. It's one of the best movies I've seen in months, so forgive me if I fanboy it up a bit.
Let the Right One In is a 2008 Swedish film, based on the book of the same name. It's about a 12-year-old boy, Oskar, living with his mother in Blackeburg in 1981. Oskar is constantly bullied by his peers, but he is too afraid to stand up for himself. He also has a fascination with murders that have been occurring in his town. Meanwhile, he meets a girl, Eli, that he quickly falls for. Oskar notices that something about her is a bit odd, but he's not sure what it is (she's a vampire). I won't continue with the plot as to not spoil anything.
To be clear, I wouldn't even consider this a horror film. It's much more than that. Sure, there's gore, and there's a vampire, and the movie can be creepy, but the purpose of this film is not to scare the audience. Rather, the movie is a depiction of a complicated romance between two kids. The film is in Swedish, so some of the nuances may be lost in the subtitles, but the subs didn't seem to subtract from the movie to my knowledge. The first thing I can say is that this film is beautifully shot. The camera angles and the picturesque scenery are visually striking, and they also serve to create an emotionally charged vibe. Many shots are dark, giving the movie a depressing, bleak feel to it. The contrast of all the blood spilled on the pure white snow is also very moving. This film is very atmospheric, hence the landscapes and camera angles being one of the main strengths of the movie. There aren't many special effects, and the movie doesn't rely on a lot of complicated editing to capture the audience.
In addition to the superb execution of the filming, the acting is phenomenal. The two leads give incredible performances, even at such a young age. People are weary of films starring children, but these kids are very talented, and carry the film without any problem. The romance between the little boy and the vampire is somehow simultaneously disturbing and heart-wrenching. Eli commits heinous crimes just to survive, but Oskar still loves her nonetheless. Kare Hedebrant does a great job of portraying Oskar, communicating his self-alienation and sorrow just by his expressions and mannerisms. Don't let 'childhood romance' fool you, there are some very twisted scenes in this film. It somehow left me feeling sympathetic of Eli while also being disgusted by her vampirism. The film is straightforward in its depiction of vampires; it doesn't glamorize vampires, but rather shows them to be ruthless, violent creatures that are constantly seeking to satisfy their bloodlust, by any means necessary. The gore in the movie is very simple and realistic, as realistic as vampirism can seem. This movie is not over-the-top, but rather is very subtle and unsettling. Let the Right One In is a captivating, emotionally heavy flick about a lonely boy who falls in love with a vampire. If you like dramas or romances and don't mind some gore, I would strongly recommend this film.