LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
Directed by Tomas Alfredson
Produced by Carl Molinder & John Nordling
Written by John Ajvide Lindqvist, based on his novel
Released by Magnet Releasing
Swedish with English subtitles
Sweden. 114 Min. Rated R
With Kare Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl, Karin Bergquist, Ika Nord & Karl-Robert Lindgren
 

Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) is 12 and living with his single mother in small-town Sweden. He has a morbid fascination with newspaper stories involving violent acts, but only as a collector, clipping out stories and putting them in a scrapbook. He’s also a loner and an easy target for a trio of bullies who pummel him given a chance, that is until a new neighbor moves in next door—Eli (Lina Leandersson), a girl who appears to be the same age as Oskar. They befriend each other, shakily, as she at first warns him to have nothing to do with her. Some friendly conversation and a Rubik’s Cube cool the tension and soon they start hanging out by the apartment complex’s jungle gym.

But it’s only at night that Oskar sees Eli—one clue that leads Oskar to figure out that she is really a vampire. (Hence she “appears to be” the same age as Oskar. She mentions in one vulnerable moment she’s been 12 for a long time). Her so-called guardian goes out and nabs unsuspecting youths for their blood or she prowls the snowy Swedish nights herself to fulfill her cravings.

Let the Right One In sounds like a tricky proposition to endure: Buffy the Vampire Slayer by way of Ingmar Bergman. It is in large part a horror film. With some vicious and startling scenes of vampire attack and feeding, director Tomas Alfredson offers the obvious elements that make fans of the horror genre come back again and again. Besides the really creepy atmosphere, he allows for the music (or lack thereof) to do a lot of the work with his careful compositions. But in large part the horror is recognizable, the schoolyard bullies who prey with such an abandon of conscience. It’s a credit to Alfredson that both the real and figurative bloodsuckers are equally menacing.

Possibly more effective than the routine scenes of bloodshed, though, is the relationship between Oskar and Eli. Hederbrant and Leandersson are excellent at conveying incredible touches of subtlety, those obvious but heartfelt anxious and awkward moments one often sees in coming-of-age stories. (In one scene when Eli is huddled in bed with Oskar, he asks in a hopeful tone if they can start dating, one of many tender moments.) There’s even a strange warmth to the picture, from feeling the connection between these two characters, and how doomed their bond is—the film’s real focus.

In a sense, this actually makes Let the Right One In a tricky sell: it’s not quite a great vampire movie, but it’s hard not to feel touched by the characters and their transformations. In fact, this is a movie more for those looking for bleak, cold Swedish fare than for big-time Dracula buffs. This is a compliment; whenever a creepy scene of horror/violence or the eerie occurred, I couldn’t wait for the movie to get back to just Oskar and Eli alone or Oskar at school. It’s a rare vampire film to carry over into the art house, and it should find its audience sooner rather than later. Jack Gattanella
October 24, 2008