Let The Right One In

While the vampire genre has taken a serious hit in recent years due to the Twilight Saga and other poorly constructed tales there was one novel and film produced that stood out from the rest. Strangely enough the novel; which predates Twilight, has a similar theme but doesn't castrate the male vampire; well technically that's not true. I am of course speaking of the 2004 Swedish novel Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist. It is by far the best addition to vampire literature in ages. While it is a very dark book with several characters meant to be despised at it's heart is the tale of Oskar and Eli and the closeness they share. While the film doesn't follow the book in detail and lessens the role of several characters it is still the best vampire movie of the last twenty years; surpassing Near Dark as my favorite in the genre.

We begin the move with 12 year old Oskar(Kare Hedebrant) looking at his reflection in the window threatening it. He is bullied at school so he likes to imagine taking his revenge. He enjoys reading books on dark subjects as well as collecting news articles about murders. He lives with his mother but sees his father; who is a alcoholic, every now and then. Both parents fail to give him the attention he craves so Oskar is all alone in the dreary Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg.

One night while he is outside his apartment playing he meets a young girl Eli(Lina Leandersson). She is a pale girl and according to Oskar smells funny. She tells him she has moved in to the apartment next door. When asked her age she says 12 more or less which only confuses Oskar. The next night they meet again Eli; having taken a bath, asks if she smells better. Oskar wanting a friend quickly warms up to her and offers her his Rubik's Cube; the film is set in 1982. He even teaches her Morse Code so they can communicate to each other through the walls. Over time they develop a deep bond with each other.

The same time of Eli's arrival marks the beginning of several murders. Hakan(Per Ragnar); Eli's keeper, is responsible. He must go out and get blood for her but he has grown increasingly inept and Eli soon takes a life herself a local named Jocke. While his role in the movie is played down with the audience left to interpret; in the book it is clear he is a peodophile working for Eli in hopes of satisfying his sick desire. Again the book is a dark book but is worth reading. Eventually he gets caught while trying to get Eli blood once again and to keep the police from tracking her disfigures his face. Eli visits him at the hospital and he offers his blood to her and then falls to his death; in the movie. After Hakan's death Eli spends more time with Oskar urging him to fight back against his tormenters. He listens and takes a stand which stops the bullying. He asks Eli if she would like to be his girlfriend but she asks "what if I'm not a girl"? Oskar not sure what she means simply tells her it doesn't matter. The movie doesn't go into detail what happened with Eli but the book gives an indepth explaination. The film does offer a glimpse as to the meaning behind Eli's words. She decides to "go steady" with Oskar and he eventually takes her to a special place and decides to form a blood bond with her. He cuts his hand with his knife then asks her to do the same. She fights back the urge to attack Oskar by lapping up the blood that has pooled on the ground. She asks him to leave but when he refuses she runs out. As she does she attacks a woman but is stopped by the woman's boyfriend and friend of Jocke. She flees to safety as he attends to his girlfriend.

Oskar unsure of what to do gives Eli the cold shoulder until he nearly kills her by refusing to invite her in to his apartment. They continue to grow closer until their bond leads them away from the suburb. I have tried not to spoil too much of the film there is plenty left to take in. Normally if a film is based on a book I would recommend the book over the film. In this case I recommend both. They both stand on their own independently.

While Let the Right One In is not filled with gore there are gory scenes. The story focuses mainly on the two outcasts finding acceptance through each other. It's the development of that bond that is so intriguing with this film. I highly recommend both the book and movie. However if you decide to get the DVD do not get the Magnolia/Magnet version as the subtitles are not the same as the version released in theaters. They have been extremely dumbed down and make no sense with the scenes. Either find a copy from another region; wait for the re-release which is happening soon; or rent it off Netflix as they have the proper version. I have also heard they are making an American remake; didn't see that coming. Will it be as good as the original? Considering the story I doubt it will retain any of the unsavory elements that could hurt the movie rating so it's hard to say. I'll wait and see but won't hold my breath.