Vampire Movie: Let the Right One In
I finally got the vampire movie that I have been dying to see (no pun intended!), Let the Right One In.
Let the Right One In
The only thing I knew about the film before I saw it was that it was a foreign file, that it was reeeeeally good and it was about a kid who befriends another kid in his building, who happens to be a vampire. What I heard wasn’t too far off, but what I found out was that the movie I watched was a beautifully crafted and atmospheric film.
*********May contain some spoilers if you haven’t seen this movie*********
The setting was so simple – a neighborhood in a city in the middle of a snowy winter – an apartment building, a school – very simple. And the characters were really moving, very real. A twelve year old boy, who is bullied at school, meets the new girl who has moved into his building.
She is strange, but they seem to understand each other. She just happens to need the blood of others to survive. A child vampire. I loved that their friendship blossoms like most childhood friendships, with a few awkward words and moments, then a feeling of familiarity and ease.
Oskar in Let the Right One In
The film focused beautifully on the developing relationship of these two young people (well, at least one of them is young!). Only when the story crept away from the children did you get a sense of something sinister.
The city newspapers told of people being killed – drained of their blood. And boy did I get to see it! The man that lives with the young vampire was one of the culprits - he would prey on the kind and trusting passer-bys and attack them, string them up and drain their blood to take back to the girl.
This movie did not have horrifying vampire special effects. It did have some cool visual effects, adding to the supernatural ambiance of the film. It had very real feeling situations. Even the murder scenes seemed to be a part of this film’s world. Yes, they were horrifying, but they seemed very matter-of-fact – like it was what needed to be done for this child to survive.
I did get my vampire feelers tickled during a few scenes. I always love seeing the interpretation of what a vampire in a particular story can do and can’t do, what powers they may or may not have. It’s fascinating to me.
In this movie, the child vampire could climb walls. It is very subtle the way you find out, really well done. She also is strong, but very vulnerable and can be hurt. The most interesting element for me was that you actually get to see what happens to a vampire if they enter a home without being invited. Usually, it’s just described as something a vampire cannot do, they just can’t enter. In this film, she enters her friend’s house and immediately starts to bleed from every orifice and pore. Frightening and oh so cool. I have never seen this evolution in the vampire myth.
Eli in Let the Right One In
Every scene I found to be precise and exquisitely filmed and I found myself loving the fact that the main story was about budding friendship, loyalty and trust, even if it had a macabre overtone.
VVVVV (5 Fangs for Let the Right One In) Brava!
Posted on May 14th, 2010 at 1:07 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Anna Sayer. Anna Sayer said: just reviewed vampire movie Let the Right One in. Loved it! http://www.loveofvampires.com/2010/vampire-movie-let-the-right-one-in/ [...]
Posted on July 2nd, 2010 at 11:34 pm
I agree with you that this is one of the best vampire movies I have seen in a long time.
The few people that I have found that was interested in watching it with me disagree with my point of view in the motive of the vampire in the film. When I first heard about the film it was described to me as a darker version of Twilight in that it was a love story between two young kids one of which is a vampire. After watching it I started thinking about the love story part. I don’t think her motives where propelled by love but circumstance. In the film, as you mentioned, she has an older gentleman doing her hunting for her, but what you don’t know is how long she was with him (who does die in the film). It’s my opinion that she doesn’t really love Oskar, in the traditional sense, but wants him to be her new hunter. When they first meet she sees him stabbing a tree that he is pretending is the bully from school. Through the movie she also asks him if he could kill and get away with it would he, which he responds yes. Now I have no doubt that Oskar loves her and that is what would drive him to leave with her and do whatever she needs him to do and she knows that. She is truly evil and manipulative and I love it. For once a true vampire and not just some pretty vampire that just wants to be human.