Let The Right One In - Låt den rätte komma in (2008); romance horror drama film review

 

Poster artwork for the romance horror drama Swedish film Let The Right One In - Låt den rätte komma in.

Young Vampire Love by Linh

The Swedish romance drama horror Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) is brilliant and gives audiences a taste of gloriously gleeful gore. Thankfully, this film is all English-subbed (subtitled) and not English-dubbed.

My preference would be to see actors speaking in their natural voices and accents to add believability to the characters. Also, poor lip-synching is a minor gripe.

Let The Right One In is set in the 1980s and centres around the innocent romance between two teenagers who are social recluses finding comfort in each other’s company. Oskar is a twelve year old who is constantly bullied at school and imagines himself seeking revenge by murdering his attackers. He meets the new girl Eli (pronounced Ellie) who moves in next door with her ‘father’ and through showing each other moves on Oskar’s Rubik’s cube, their friendship strengthens. Oskar soon becomes aware of an increasing number of violent attacks and murders around town which began when Eli moved in, and he seeks the truth from Eli.

BLOOD THIRSTY: Eli (Lina Leandersson) lets the blood run free in the film Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in). Image: Magnet Releasing.

Let The Right One In, based on John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel, is one of the most entertaining vampire films in recent years, due to its film production style, character portrayals and the dark humour is subtle which makes the gory scenes visually satisfying. The Morrissey hit single Let The Right One In, inspired the title of John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel upon which the Swedish vampire film is based. Swedish director Tom Alfredson worked with Lindqvist to create an eerily bleak setting for the film which gives a sense of calm and serenity, until the viewer gets an eyeful of sudden gore.

The characters also seem dull and ordinary, going about their daily lives unperturbed by the horrors occurring in their community.

It is this mundane dreariness that makes the murder scenes surprising and horrific.

OUTCASTS: Eli (Lina Leandersson) and Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) find comfort in each other's company in the film Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in). Image: Magnet Releasing.

Hoyte Van Hoytema’s cinematography is simple and exquisite with the hypnotic scenes of snow falling, the subtle uncomplicated violent scenes and the cat attack scene are superbly orchestrated.

Kare Hedebrant gives an understated performance as the loner Oskar and he has a wonderful ability in conveying the emotional sensibilities that make his character convincing.

Lina Leandersson as the defiant and sweet-faced vampire child Eli (who is said to be over 200 years old in the novel) is alarmingly charming despite seeming aloof.

The most interesting character is Eli’s ‘father’ or ‘helper’ named Hakan. In the novel he is a paedophile who takes care of Eli and procures blood for her by any means possible. In the film, Hakan’s relationship with Eli is unclear but one assumes he is another one of her ‘lovers’ whom she has seduced in order to obtain blood for her. Per Ragnar is frightening and strange as Hakan, whose constant failure to bring blood for Eli results in his gruesome demise with a personal sacrifice. Ragnar gives Hakan a mysterious persona and a creepiness that is unsettling.

ALL FIRED UP: Virginia (Ika Nord) suddenly self-combusts as her friends watch in despair in the film Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in). Image: Magnet Releasing.

The core of the film depicts human connection, how we change the people who enter our lives and how they change us. The two young characters identify themselves in each other and gain strength and trust through their love. Let The Right One In is brilliantly repulsive and un-nervingly compelling with some of the horrific murder scenes quite comical.

An American re-make (titled Let Me In) released in 2010 with Cloverfield director Matt Reeves at the helm and starred Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloe Grace Moretz in the lead roles, is entertaining but lacks the more subversive elements of the vampire girl seen in the Swedish version. The Swedish original is as close as one can get to a masterpiece and the American version fails to sustain the same atmospheric mood and intensity of the original Swedish version.

BULLIED: Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) endures another day of bullying by Conny (Patrik Rydmark) in the film Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in). Image: Magnet Releasing.

Director: Tomas Alfredson

Writer: John Ajvide Lindqvist (screenplay and author of novel Låt den rätte komma in)

Cast: Kare Hedebrant , Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl, Karin Bergquist, Peter Carlberg, Ika Nord, Mikael Rahm, Karl-Robert Lindgren, Anders T. Peedu, Pale Olofsson, Patrik Rydmark, Johan Sömnes, Mikael Erhardsson, Rasmus Luthander

Producers: Frida Asp, Gunnar Carlsson, Ricard Constantinou, Suzanne Hamilton, Henric Larsson, Carl Molinder, John Nordling, Lena Rehnberg, Per-Erik Svensson

Original Music Composer: Johan Söderqvist

Cinematographer: Hoyte Van Hoytema

Film Editors: Tomas Alfredson, Daniel Jonsäter

Production Designer: Eva Noren

Costume Designer: Maria Strid

Languages: Swedish with English subtitles

Running Time: 1 hour and 54 minutes.