Let The Right One In

With Swede's you must be careful about letting the right one in.

Open the door to the right one and you could find a wonderful soul-mate and live happily ever after. Open the door to the wrong one and you could be letting in a blood-sucking fiend that will drain the life out of you.

Let The Right One In is a Swedish language vampire film that's very popular across Scandinavia, and quickly gaining classic status here in the United States. The film is based on a best-selling novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist. In Sweden the film is called Lat den ratte komma in, and it's the first theatrical film from director Tomas Alfredson, who's only previous experience was directing television movies. Magnolia Pictures has just released the film in the U.S. on DVD as part of its genre arm, Magnet, and Lindqvist's novel is also available now from Thomas Dunne Publishing.

Let The Right One In is indeed a horror film in the classic sense, because it's both ominous and portentous, and built on time-honored principles of filmmaking. But it's also a serious adolescent drama as well as an entertaining offbeat love story. At first glance though the story seems to be only one dimensional, but as it plays itself out it proves to be much more than just one-sided. Quite a bit more, in fact.

Oskar, a lonely 12 year old boy living in Stockholm, finds himself befriending a new neighbor named Eli, a mysterious and rather disheveled pre-pubescent girl, who seems strangely impervious to the cold winter temperatures in Sweden. At school the morbid Oskar is continually harrassed by bullying classmates and seems unable to protect himself from further abuse, but perhaps now with the support of his devastating new girlfriend (who just happens to be a blood-sucking vampire), he can find some method for manifesting his latent courage, and restore his sullied pride.

And in time Oskar does strikes back against his oppressors, in one of the most powerful scenes in the film. For anyone who has ever been bullied while in school, this scene will feel almost cathartic to watch, but deeply disturbing. And that's just one memorable scene from a string of vivid ones, some that literally burst into flames before our eyes. There's also an important scene in which young Eli reveals the uniqueness of herself to Oskar, albeit inadvertantly, which causes their burgeoning relationship to develop even further. It's yet another powerful moment in a film filled with powerful moments. So a horror story that seemed simple at first now becomes increasingly complex, layered with sexual magnetism, emotion and pathos, and all the while supported by strong visual stimulation.

This carefully constructed film manages to be both artful and poetic, as well as poignant, in spite of being just another vampire movie built around traditional lore and motifs (such as vampires can't enter your home without a formal invitation).

What Alfredson has crafted is no less than one of the finest vampire films ever made, and you know that covers a wealth of material. Just don't expect any jump out of the dark sequences that characterize most horror films because there aren't any in his movie, or at least none that provided me with an inital jolt. But there are several of those key moments that I mentioned earlier which play out even better in my estimation. Placed strategically throughout the narrative, these cinematic highlights keep the film in constant motion, and uniquely visual, because the plot itself is guilty of following a predictable path. After only a few minutes of viewing I knew exactly where the story was going and why, and it never strayed from its obvious course. However, upon deeper examination, that particular aspect could easily be considered as one of the film's better attributes. A complicated plot would certainly have threatened the story with implausiblity, but as it currently stands, the story appears almost grounded in reality, as if a child vampire could actually be living among us in the 21st Century. Or at least inside Oskar's troubled mind.

Yet for me, the films real strength lies not with its undisguised narrative, but with its graceful cinematography, all of it carefully lensed and beautifully lit by photographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, and of course those punctuated moments that are executed so perfectly by Alfredson.

The cast performed admirably too, with the arguable exception of newcomer Kare Hedbrant, who plays the lead character Oskar. Hedbrant's youth and inexperience in front of the camera were obvious; he appears almost listless, or torpid, for too much of his screen time, and was unable to emote with enough conviction to sustain believability in his performance. His counterpart Lina Leandersson, who plays the vampire Eli, is much better in her role, although in Kare's defense, Lina doesn't have to carry the film like he's required to do. The film is essentially seen through Oskar's eyes, and that's a heavy load for any fledgling actor to tote with such limited experience. This is 12 year old Hebrant's first film appearance and that fact must be taken in account. And yet even with that minor criticism, Let The Right One In will likely remain one of the most unique coming of age stories ever told, and Oskar and Eli would still appear to be the most affecting screen couple so far this year (even withstanding Hedbrant's rather limp contributions). Tomas Alfredson's film is unique in so many ways that it almost defies catagorization. His sensational ending is a pure exercise in dramatic flair; it's both masterfully delivered, and marvelous to behold. A coalescence of terror and tenderness.

The Behind the Scenes feature reveals how some of those special moments were achieved. Computer graphic images were deployed during someof the film's best moments, but it didn't detract me from enjoying the scenes. Taken as a whole, the CG was used sparingly and to good effect. I watched Let The Right One In in the original Swedish language with English subtitles, but there are dubbed alternatives for those who like their movies more palpable. It should be noted that fans are complaining bitterly about Magnolia Home Entertainment's translation of the subtitles, and also the dubbing. I've heard rumors that there may be a correct DVD version released in the future, with the original theatrical subtitles provided by the Swedish filmmakers (marked on the package "Subtitles: English-Theatical"). It's probably worth waiting for that definitive version before actually buying, but don't miss the film because your holding your breath. See it now!

I know it's hard to believe there could be a bright new take in vampire films while still respecting traditional lore, but somehow those Swedes managed to throw a glistening new cape around the bloodsucker's hoary shoulders.