Director: Tomas Alfredson
Starring: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar
Time: 114 minutes
These holidays, I avoided at all costs the film Twilight. I’m not going to judge the movie without having seen it, but I knew from a very early time that this movie was not for me. That being said, I am now kind of tempted to see it, just so I can compare it to Let The Right One In. Both films follow an outcast adolescent who falls in love with a vampire. The difference is that while Edward Cullen struggles to contain his bloodlust, 12 year old Eli has no qualms about ripping people’s throats out. Now you understand why this film appeals to me more. Let The Right One In, or Låt Den Rätte Komma In recieved enormous critical praise from various film festivals around the world, and after hearing it praised on the slashfilmcast, a movie podcast that I listen to, I was eager to check it out. Unfortunately, it dosn’t seem to be playing anywhere in Melbourne. I check the websites of all the different cinemas, both commercial and independent, and I even emailed the distributors. Sadly, I was unable to see it in theatres, and so instead had to turn to...less legitimate options. I won’t reveal my methods, but let’s just say the internet was involved. Anyway, once I eventually saw the film, I really liked it. One of the first movies I have clear memories of is The Little Vampire , which was about a bullied little boy who befriends the son of a family of vapires who movies in next door to him. This is basically that film if it had been directed by Eli Roth. Alternitively, I described it to one friend as being “like Twilight crossed with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In Swedish”
The best things about this film are the two lead child actors, who are actually convincing (apparently it’s only American children who can’t act). Kåre Hedebrant plays Oskar, an ostracised boy who lives with his mother in an apartment building in the freezing suburb of Blackeberg, Stockholm. His life changes drastically when he meets Eli, played by Lina Leandersson, a strange girl with pale skin who never comes out in the day, has to be invited in before entering a home and doesn’t feel the cold. As their romance blossoms’, the body count steadily rise. I classified it as a horror film, although it’s not really that scary. More than anything, it’s just really creepy; the relationship between Eli and her old guardian is suspicious to say the least, and Oskar himself harbours violent feelings towards the bullies who make his life miserable. But despite the bloodshed, this movie is also a sweet romance that (I suspect) succeeds far better than Twilight ever could. The fact that you can believe the relationship between the two kids is a testament to the strength of the direction, script and actors. And speaking of the direction, the way the final showdown at the swimming pool is framed creates one of the most original and morbidly funny sequences I have seen in a long time.
If this film ever gets a theatrical or DVD release, I fully encourage everyone to go and see it; please don’t be put off by the subtitles. I’ll post the trailer for anyone who’s interested. An American remake is slated for a 2009 release; here’s hoping they don’t screw it up (knowing Hollywood, they’ll probably cast Jaden Smith and Miley Cyrus…god damnit.)
Rating: 8/10
UPDATE: I just got a very friendly reply from Rialto Distribution in regards to my query about Let The Right One In. Turns out that they're still working things out, but with any luck it should be screening at the Carlton Nova in February, so everyone in Melbourne should check that out.
