Let the Right One In - Re-Review

In an age where even the term “vampire film” is often met with either an eye roll or spiteful chuckle thanks to the abominable Twilight novels and adapted films (yes, both are bad, don’t make any excuses), it’s a shame that a film like Let the Right One In is so overlooked in the U.S. Come to think of it, foreign films in general are harder to jump into, especially for the average moviegoer. I’m a film buff as well as film student, so I have the prior knowledge and tact regarding them, but the general public is so spoon fed on commercial schlock that art house films are rarely profitable in America. The Tree of Life, for instance, despite being an American-made film, only made back little over a third of its original budget in domestic market but did about 4 times as well in other countries. But, I’m getting off-topic.

Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) follows a young boy named Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant), a morbid, lonesome boy of 12. Oskar spends his day going to school, where he is bullied by a group of kids his age. In one of their encounters, Oskar is actually sliced across his cheek. When home, he uses his spare time to fill in his scrapbook of newspaper clippings regarding murders, crime and forensics interest him, as indicated by both the scrapbook and his knowledge of the subject during a scene in the classroom. His frequent abuse at the hands of his cruel classmates causes him to visualize and partially act out physical retaliation, often stabbing a tree with a pocket knife while muttering the same insults he himself receives. When new neighbors arrive, he quickly befriends a young girl, Eli (Lina Leandersson, dubbed by Elif Ceylan), despite her initial and open hesitation towards him. As their relationship grows, so does Oscar’s affinity for violence and desire for revenge. Upon the revelation of Eli’s vampirism, Oskar still welcomes her.

Oskar is obviously not an a-typical pre-teen, his fascination with the macabre and openness towards Eli forebodes a dark future for him as an adult, though we shall never see him as one. Not only is this unconventional for the vampire sub-genre, it’s a rather unconventional horror film to boot, being that it’s an art house piece as well as partly a black romance. The child actors are nothing short of great, and it further institutes my stance that youth is no excuse for poor performance. Oskar and Eli are two halves of a whole, Oskar bringing out Eli’s humanity while Eli helps Oskar awaken his animosity. Oskar is a character of mystery and sympathy but is never uninteresting nor preachy, Eli is just as quiet and reserved as he is, but she exhibits the confidence and surety Oskar needs, being far older than she appears on the outside.

Because the narrative is so fresh, it’s hard to predict where it will go, which makes the horror all the more compelling as well as generally effective. From a technical standpoint, it’s a very visually appealing film, with the backdrop of Sweden in the snow to the magnificent indoor lighting thanks to some creative techniques by the filmmakers. The film’s greatest strength though, is ambiguity. Points and questions raised by the progression of the plot or the audience are rarely answered but aren’t ignored; instead we are given the opportunity to debate amongst ourselves for the answers. It’s the unfortunate shortcoming of the American remake by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield), Let Me In, which sacrifices ambiguity and subtlety for the grotesque and for shock value.

All-in-all, Let the Right One In, to me, is a masterpiece. Its main cast is impactful, its narrative wonderfully fulfilling, its presentation nothing short of enchanting. To label it as just a vampire film greatly undermines its overwhelming integrity. I have seen it again and again and find nothing significant enough to take away from the experience, except maybe visual effects due to it being a low-budget film, unavoidable, either way. Other than dismissible nitpicks, it’s a film that had me thinking about it for weeks the first time, and still causes me to ponder a little with each new viewing, morbid and gorgeous at once and throughout. 10 out of 10.