‘Let the Right One In’ is an Original and Haunting Vampire Romance
-----Amidst all of the hype for teen vampire romance ‘Twilight,’ many people never even heard of the foreign film, ‘Let the Tight One In.’ It received good reviews and I was excited to see it, rarely having the chance to see foreign films myself. Thankfully, it was a very rewarding experience.
-----The film starts off with 12 year old Oskar. Oskar is book worm who gets bullied by his peers. Silent and to himself Oskar finds himself isolated from most children his age. That’s when Oskar meets his new neighbor Eli. A girl of about his age, Eli only comes outside in the night, and keeps to herself much like Oskar. When Oskar begins to befriend her, he is shocked to see she has many peculiar characteristics, not to mention solving a Rubik’s Cube on her first try. Despite his many suspicions, Oskar is blinded by his feelings for Eli, who is actually a vampire.
-----Kare Hedebrant plays Oskar. He adequately portrays the young naïve boy who is frequently picked on. Furthermore, his chemistry with fellow lead Lina Leandersson is very unique and believable. Leandersson herself gives an excellent and eerie portrayal as the conflicted young vampire, Eli. Her eyes lend to a dark past and the struggle of her bloodlust. Her performance and chemistry with Oskar makes for one of the most intriguing and certainly the most realistic take on Vampire love I’ve ever seen.
-----The cinematography is excellent and even dazzling at times. It’s efficient and effective use with such a small budget make the lack of special effects a benefit. Whether we vaguely see Eli run up a wall in the dark, or a man is torn to shreds off screen, ‘Let the Right One In’ is a textbook example of creative camera work on a low budget. By leaving much to the imagination, the horrors are often much darker, and even more vivid than if it were all thrust in our faces with CG and makeup. The lack of CG also gives the film a vintage feel, and an authenticity often lost in modern cinema. Other than that there isn’t much to say about the technicalities other than a brooding and soft musical score, and an occasionally slow pace that’s worth the wait.
-----The finished product is a completely unique look at what a real vampire romance might be like. Showing the dark aspects of the vampire tendencies rather than the glamorous ones, the movie sticks to the vintage vampire stories of old, before vampires were leather clad gunfighters. Anyone interested in the art of filmmaking, foreign film, and especially vampire romance, should definitely see ‘Let the Right One In.’
