Let The Right One In (2008)

Let The Right One In, or Låt den rätte komma in, was directed by Thomas Alfredson, and stars Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson. It was filmed in Sweden, and can now be seen in theatres with English subtitles. It is based on a book by the same name, by John Ajvide Lindqvist. There is currently an American remake in production.

Let The Right One In is an excellent film. I attended with both my parents, neither of whom particularly enjoy Horror, and we all left with similar feelings of satisfaction. Let The Right One In combines just the right amount of gore and grisliness with what is, at heart, a love story. Oskar and Eli are, despite Eli's status as a vampire, just two isolated children who find solace in one another.

The treatment of Eli's character is really what makes the movie unique. She is not Anne Rice's Claudia, a spoiled and cunning woman in miniature, but a child. Her every movement is imbued with vulnerability, and the need to be accepted. When Oskar buys her some chocolates from a shop, she eats one, though she throws up moments later, because she so wants to be his friend. Eli is innocent, a word almost never used to describe a vampire. Her stomach rumbles with hunger before she goes out to feed, and she kills not out of blood lust but out of necessity.

This is not to say, however, that she is "good" or "tame." She does not feed on animals or from willing donors, but on any person she can. When Oskar is attacked by bullies, she responds with all the violence that comes with uncontrolled power. She is the perfect mix of monster and angel, making her awkwardly budding relationship with Oskar darkly endearing.

Overall: A+