Movie Review: Let the Right One In

Let the Right One In is a disarmingly quiet film. Violence, and the possibility of violence, lurk around every corner, and yet there is curious lack of passion throughout. The violence serves as a backdrop, building up a wealth of somber dread.

The complex relationship at the film's forefront is between a boy named Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) and a girl named Eli (Lina Leandersson). Oskar lives with his mother. They don't seem to have much of a relationship; when he comes home from school, she's on the phone or watching TV, and when he declines to watch with her, she grumbles, "I'll just watch the show by myself then." He visits his father and though they appear to have fun together, we sense that there is an unspeakable gulf between them.

Eli lives with a man named Håkan (Per Ragnar), who is not her father. There have been odd murders committed around town, and it is Håkan who has been tying people upside down before bloodletting them. Håkan doesn't want to do this; it's killing him as much as it is the victims. So why does he do it? To feed Eli. When Eli meets the lonely Oskar, who is planning revenge on a group of bullies who have been beating on him, he asks her how old she is. "Twelve," she answers. "More or less."

For you see, Eli is a vampire (and possibly not even a girl at all). Oskar sees something in Eli which helps him cope with the rest of the world, something that allows him to enact those revenge fantasies, or at least their beginnings. He seeks protection in Eli, who seems willing to offer it after Håkan fails her. What does Eli see in Oskar? I'm not quite sure, and I don't want to pass judgment. There are brief moments where it seems as if all she demands is slavish devotion, but for much of the movie she maintains a sweet bond with him which turns out to be one of the year's most memorable love stories.

There is a scene where she asks him to let her in, and once he does, she proceeds to undress and get in bed with him. If there is something sexual about this, it's subtle; Oskar and Eli--no matter how old she is--are still pre-adolescent, after all. They grasp each others' hands and lie there, two outsiders living on the inside together.

This isn't some dumb teen soap opera like Twilight, of even an intelligent adult soap opera like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A real desperation hangs over the entire thing. Oskar and Eli's need to be together isn't merely desire, but necessity; we get the feeling that the only way they'll be able to survive is with each other.

Article Author: Arlo J. Wiley

Arlo J. Wiley is an aspiring filmmaker who has a deep love of movies, music, television, and most other artforms. He co-hosts the Gobbledygeek podcast and maintains its blog, which you can find at http://gobbledygeekbtr.wordpress.com.

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