Sunday, October 3, 2010

Let the right one in

Låt den rätte komma in (original title)

Starring Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl, Karin Bergquist, Peter Carlberg , Ika Nord , Mikael Rahm , Karl-Robert Lindgren , Anders T. Peedu , Pale Olofsson , Cayetano Ruiz , Patrik Rydmark , Johan Somnes , Mikael Erhardsson , Rasmus Luthander , Soren Kallstigen , Malin Cederbladh , Bernt Ostman , Kajsa Linderholm , Adam Stone , Ingemar Raukola , Karl Robert Lindgren

Directed by Tomas Alfredson

Release Date:

Norway October 24,2008

Sweden October 24,2008

USA October 24,2008 (limited)


For all the praise Twilight gets from young girls, Let the Right one in is for all those who opposing them. A somber love story between an emotionally scarred and lonely young boy named Oskar and a strange little girl named Eli. Be warned: this is not a fast-paced, gore fest vampire movie; it is more akin to Dracula or Interview with the Vampire. I particularly enjoyed how the director made both Oskar and Eli connect by setting them against the vast snow-scape and make each character a little socially awkward: Oskar has no friends at school and is withdrawn even at home while Eli only appears at night and has a dark connection to a series of murders' in Oskar's neighborhood. This is a great foreign film that combines suspense, horror, and a sweet childhood romance into one story. The Vampire fan in me loves how Eli's attacks are not tame and controlled but more akin to an animal feeding on its' prey.

(From Original Post: 2008) On a disappointed note, Let the Right one in will be remade in the US and will most likely retool the entire story into a more marketable film for general audiences (i.e. set the story in modern times instead of 1982, relocate Sweden to New York, age the main characters into teenagers, and 90% product placement). Do yourself a favor by watching this film before seeing the remake. In short, this is a great film with the right amount of horror, romance, and drama.

Rating: * * * * 1/2 of 5