To Bathe in Filmic Waters

Let the Right One In | Tomas Alfredson, 2008

It’s a shame that the expression ‘knocked for six’ is largely unknown outside England and Australia, for it describes rather well the feet-swept feeling one may experience with a well-made thriller every so often. “Stunned, shocked, astounded or overwhelmed” are some of the synonyms offered for this cricket-oriented idiom, which is exactly how I felt after sitting through Swedish vampire flick Let the Right One In (Låt den Rätte Komma In) for the first time. Based on the novel of the same name, this international festival success revolves around an ungainly relationship between boy and girl on a snow-capped housing estate in eighties Sweden. An innocent concept made all the more sinister by the fact that this little girl named Eli “lives off blood” – a life she leads somewhat clandestinely until her minder decides he can take it no longer. Her new-found friend Oskar is the single subject of school bully hatred, a loner of sorts whose reserved, tight-trousered stance aids some of the film’s finer, pensive moments. Each child finds a common solace in one another, and it is this tender central companionship that sets the film apart, contradicting the western marketing campaign that simply parades Let the Right One In as (yet another) foreign horror movie. It isn’t as revolutionary as some may have you believe, but this is the kind of gripping thriller that doesn’t come along very often and should be rewarded accordingly. A shame then that it was so quickly overlooked this year as Sweden’s official Best Foreign Picture candidate.

Eli the vampire is played by first-timer Lina Leandersson, over whose voice they later dubbed to discourage any girlishness. And it is Eli’s dependence upon the scarlet stuff that moves the plot forward in Let the Right One In. Everything that occurs is in some way influenced by her arrival, primarily Oskar’s courage which is boosted enough for him to stand up against those who make his life hell. It is then with this newly discovered confidence that he is able to help Eli when the time arrives. Director Tomas Alfredson creates an almost unrelenting level of suspense, from beginning to end in Let the Right One In -  a feeling that is enhanced tenfold through some beautiful photography, a haunting score, and the general eerie silence exuded by this sleepy Swedish setting. Indeed, it is the kind of thriller that pins you to your seat for the entire runtime but isn’t, unfortunately, without its flaws. Adapting such literature must never be an easy task, and this is shown by the number of unconcluded and frankly unneeded plot elements to be found here. A prominent example of this arrives in the form of a particularly awful scene involving computer-generated cats – an avoidable sequence that, quite painfully, advertises the film’s modest budget. There is also a certain irksome insistence by director and co. to highlight and include obvious aspects of vampire mythology, even without involving these in the film’s narrative. Despite these drawbacks however, Let the Right One In is an original and chilling take on the vampire movie genre that stands alongside Korea’s The Chaser as one of the more effective thrillers released in 2008.

Our Rating: