Let the Right One In

To say that Let the Right One In is one of the best vampire movies I have ever seen probably doesn't distinguish it that much. I mean there isn't exactly a long list of incredibly well done vampire films out there. (I fully expect an objection from Brad on that). Still beyond Murnau's Nosferatu, I can't think of a vampire movie I really enjoyed. (And truthfully that film underwhelmed me since I had already read Bram Stoker's Dracula). But what makes it remarkable is not that it is a good vampire film but rather that it is a surprisingly deep, intimate, sad and yes charming love story.

Oskar is a lonely boy. He lives with his mother and faces pretty disturbing abuse from one of the school bullies. When we meet him he is pantomiming a revenge sequence. He sees a strange night arrival through his window. The next night as he plays alone he meets Eli. She immediately warns him off from being his friend. To be sure a strange warning. As we continue to follow what happens to Oskar, each night Eli returns and they begin to connect in a strange way. There really isn't much that isn't well done here.

The film doesn't play with the vampire rules formula as many films do. Vampires can not go out in sunlight for instance. There is no explanation of how Eli became a vampire or how exactly her helper/slave?/relative? came to the job he holds in the film. There isn't really any expository dialog because the reality is one doesn't find a lot of expository dialog in real life. But that just made the film more intriguing. The unanswered questions make the story more interesting.

As I said there is a sad loneliness in Oskar and an equally sad loneliness in Eli. And their romance is equal parts first young love and completely sincere largely non-sexualized love. All this to a rather abysmal backdrop of a snowcapped Swedish town. It isn't just a story of a sad little boy or the story of a sad little girl, or just the story of a vampire or even an innocent love story. Its all of these things quite beautifully mixed together. And frankly I was charmed by it.

This isn't to say the film doesn't know how to show some teeth (no pun intended) when it needs to. There is a fair amount of blood, death and spontaneous combustion. All done well. I would honestly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of vampires, profoundly beautiful love stories and introspective looks at the outcasts of life. If you are a fan of all three, well sir or madam, I think you just hit the jackpot.