A FILM REVIEW
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
by Malik Isasis
Vampire movies have been done to death. In fact there’s one hitting the theatres November 21, 2008 called Twilight, which is being sold as a love story between a vampire and a teenage mortal and with lines like, “I’d rather die than stay away from you,” you know exactly what to expect, banality, and frankly, I’d rather watch a hamster run on a hamster wheel.
But I'm not here to talk about Twilight.
Let the Right One In is the story of Oskar. Oskar, a timid 12-year-old boy, by day is brutally bullied by peers in school, and by night, he collects newspaper stories of death and murder, cut them out and puts them into his scrapbook. When he is done with his peculiar scrapbooking, he goes outside into the cold, wet, and bitter darkness of night and stabs a tree with a knife, pretending he's hurting the bullies who earlier had humiliated him.
Oskar probably suffers from an emotional disturbance, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the psychic torture of the bullies, and a need at the age of 12 years old, to fit in and not stand out. It doesn’t help that it is the dead of winter in a small morose Swedish town, where inclement weather only heightens the isolation of its citizens and makes them, well, kinda weird.
When Eli, the twelve-year-old vampire moves in next door to Oskar, she observes his stabbing the tree out front of the apartment complex. The two strike up a conversation, eventually a friendship, and eventually love. An older man accompanies Eli, he seems almost her manservant, possibly he was once like Oskar, a twelve year old boy who fell in love with her, now he is relegated to seeking out strangers, hanging the upside down like wild game and slitting their throats for the blood. The only hint of their relationship is a bit of jealousy when he sees Oskar and Eli hanging out on the playground and he asks her not to see him again.
Oskar's fragility is underscored by his androgyny, his alabaster skin, blonde-white hair, and sensitive nature. He is a beautiful child, which could be the precipitous for his being bullied. Eli with her coal-black curly locks and pale skin is the yin to his yang.
One of the sincerest moments in the film, and there are several of them, is when he finds out that she is a vampire and says, “Will you be my girlfriend.” A close second is when she has to kill for blood and returns to his bedroom, and climbs in bed with him.
Director Tomas Alferdson keeps his camera still, letting all the action take place inside the frame. He never gets in the way with MTV-type editing cuts, gimmicky scare tactics, camera angles or music. He helms the film with confidence, allowing the writing and acting to speak for itself.
Let the Right One In is a very dark, and brooding piece of work, which takes its time unfolding the plot. It is more interested in revealing the love, than revealing the blood. To even label this as a horror film, or vampire movie is a misnomer; it is a love story. Vampirism just happens to be the thread that will unravel this lovely union because it is Oskar who will grow, and it will be Eli who will be left behind.
Let the Right One In is from Sweden, and already an American version is in the pipeline for 2010. Unfortunately. If there is a Landmark Theatre in your area, go see it. If not, rent it when it comes to dvd in March 2009. The wait will be worth it.
This is the best film of the year. Period.
Grade: A+
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
by Malik Isasis
Vampire movies have been done to death. In fact there’s one hitting the theatres November 21, 2008 called Twilight, which is being sold as a love story between a vampire and a teenage mortal and with lines like, “I’d rather die than stay away from you,” you know exactly what to expect, banality, and frankly, I’d rather watch a hamster run on a hamster wheel.
But I'm not here to talk about Twilight.
Let the Right One In is the story of Oskar. Oskar, a timid 12-year-old boy, by day is brutally bullied by peers in school, and by night, he collects newspaper stories of death and murder, cut them out and puts them into his scrapbook. When he is done with his peculiar scrapbooking, he goes outside into the cold, wet, and bitter darkness of night and stabs a tree with a knife, pretending he's hurting the bullies who earlier had humiliated him.
Oskar probably suffers from an emotional disturbance, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the psychic torture of the bullies, and a need at the age of 12 years old, to fit in and not stand out. It doesn’t help that it is the dead of winter in a small morose Swedish town, where inclement weather only heightens the isolation of its citizens and makes them, well, kinda weird.
When Eli, the twelve-year-old vampire moves in next door to Oskar, she observes his stabbing the tree out front of the apartment complex. The two strike up a conversation, eventually a friendship, and eventually love. An older man accompanies Eli, he seems almost her manservant, possibly he was once like Oskar, a twelve year old boy who fell in love with her, now he is relegated to seeking out strangers, hanging the upside down like wild game and slitting their throats for the blood. The only hint of their relationship is a bit of jealousy when he sees Oskar and Eli hanging out on the playground and he asks her not to see him again.
Oskar's fragility is underscored by his androgyny, his alabaster skin, blonde-white hair, and sensitive nature. He is a beautiful child, which could be the precipitous for his being bullied. Eli with her coal-black curly locks and pale skin is the yin to his yang.
One of the sincerest moments in the film, and there are several of them, is when he finds out that she is a vampire and says, “Will you be my girlfriend.” A close second is when she has to kill for blood and returns to his bedroom, and climbs in bed with him.
Director Tomas Alferdson keeps his camera still, letting all the action take place inside the frame. He never gets in the way with MTV-type editing cuts, gimmicky scare tactics, camera angles or music. He helms the film with confidence, allowing the writing and acting to speak for itself.
Let the Right One In is a very dark, and brooding piece of work, which takes its time unfolding the plot. It is more interested in revealing the love, than revealing the blood. To even label this as a horror film, or vampire movie is a misnomer; it is a love story. Vampirism just happens to be the thread that will unravel this lovely union because it is Oskar who will grow, and it will be Eli who will be left behind.
Let the Right One In is from Sweden, and already an American version is in the pipeline for 2010. Unfortunately. If there is a Landmark Theatre in your area, go see it. If not, rent it when it comes to dvd in March 2009. The wait will be worth it.
This is the best film of the year. Period.
Grade: A+
posted by Malik Isasis at
7:21 PM
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