Rating of
3.5/4
The breath of fresh air this genre needs!
Movies - wrote on 11/23/08
The year 2008 can be labeled as the year of the vampire. By far the most popular entry into the genre has been Catherine Hardwicke's adaption of Stephenie Meyer's first installment of the Twilight series. Booming on HBO has been the new series True Blood, an adaption of Chatherine Harris' Southern Vampire series. Even the CW's underrated Supernatural has had a number of episodes dedicated to the phenomenon that is the vampire genre. Now comes a Swedish import titled Let the Right One In, and low and behold it's more significant, and more ground breaking than any of the products I have just put forth. It's a gem in the rough for the horror genre, and just about any movie that has come out this year.
Let the Right One In, an adaption of the John Ajivide Lindqvist novel of the same name, unfolds as a traditional coming of age story centered around the troubled 12 year old Oskar. Oskar's life seems as if it's a living hell. He's ignored, more or less, by his mother at home, his father doesn't seem to want him, and he's bullied at school on a timely basis. Sounds familiar? Here's where it takes a dramatic turn into the supernatural. Oskar soon befriends Eli, a seemingly normal 12 year old girl who just moved into the apartment next to his. Within a couple of conversations and a unique focal point surrounding a Rubik's cube, these two become quick best friends. However, little does Oskar know that the new pal he just made is none other than a blood drinking vampire who's been committing murders all over the town with the help of her loyal, but seemingly helpless father.
Tomas Alfredson does a terrific job of capturing the characterization of Eli and her caregiver. At first, we see Eli sort of yelling and barking orders at her caregiver for his incompetence regarding the collection of human blood. Should we be rooting for or against this character? But little by little we see a close, patterned father/daughter relationship unravel, and the film becomes even more thought provoking as it moves along. The horror segments are fast, taking your breath away as you witness this little 12 year old girl do unspeakable acts, breaking the innocence of our young 12 year old lead as he watches with horror and shock. Let the Right One In grounds itself in reality, echoing Del Toro's fantasy epic Pans Labyrinth which broke the ground for fantasy/fairy tale films for the rest of time. The horror segments are to be taken serious because of this quality trait Alfredson decided to adopt.
The acting here is top-notch, with Lina Leandersson giving the best performance as the young vampire Eli. Solid performances from the rest of cast bumps the film's reality trait into the upper stratosphere, exceeding expectations in my book. The cinematography and score is literally chilling, set against the backdrop of a wintry Blackeberg. Their has been a little debate over the film's ending by some of the few haters behind the film. I believe the ending to be extremely thought provoking, glancing back at the films various themes.
The sweet childhood relationship put forth echoes back to a fantasy film I love called Bridge to Terabithia. Though Bridge isn't as adult oriented or ground-breaking, the relationship between the two leads are quite similar. In this vampire film, Oskar is given helpful advice by Eli, making him mature and grow up right before our eyes. Eli, dealing with immense issues of her own, gives Oskar the opportunity of a lifetime..to have a friend. In Bridge, Leslie does the same for Jess, minus the blood sucking and mass genocide of course. I encourage everyone reading this review to visit Bridge to Terabithia or revisit it. They're of different genres but the relationship between the two films' leads provides a touching tale of coming of age and haunting life realities.
On a side note I can't help but notice how terrific films have been when they center around children dealing with real issues and adult oriented themes. In 2007 we saw Bridge to Terabithia touch screens, displaying natural performances grounded in reality and fantasy. Mean Creek is another film that comes to my mind that deals with adolescent kids coming of age as they try to cope with an unspeakable crime they themselves have committed. And finally, this year's WALL-E, though not centered around kids but a robot, shoots for a children demographic but to my surprise and to everyone else, excels into masterpiece territory touching delicate themes like consumerism, materialism, and environmentalism. Let the Right One In, shining through a sweet, yet horrifying relationship between a 12 year old boy and a 12 year old vampire girl, is undoubtedly one of the best films of 2008.
