Top Movies #28

Let the Right One In (2008)

“Are you really my age.” – Oskar
“Yes. But I’ve been this age for a very long time.” - Eli

Wow, this film is cool. And I’m not just talking about the very real Swedish snow that decorates almost every frame, a meteorological phenomenon that is always so painfully forged in American cinema. The irony is that this is another vampire film. But please understand, this is not like anything you have ever seen before.

Oskar has a new best friend. Which should be a relief considering that the 12-year old boy is obviously very lonely: ignored by both parents and bullied by older boys at school. He shows the potential for violence, but lacks the conviction to carry it out. Luckily, his new best friend, Eli, is a vampire. Her familiar, a pathetic, weakened old man, is struggling to meet her needs which require him to bring her the blood of young men. It would seem that she is in the market for a new assistant. But her intentions toward Oskar are never made entirely clear. There are moments when we can genuinely believe she has feelings for Oskar, and other moments where she is clearly just using him. Nevertheless, she is always there when Oskar needs her.

There are brief moments of shocking violence in this picture, but they are spaced between long segments of character development, spiced with just the right amount of brooding atmosphere. So when the violence erupts it is that much more poignant because we have invested so carefully in the setting and characters. And we are never shown everything. What we do see is often obscured or filmed from an unusual perspective. Maybe it was for budgetary reasons that the filmmakers were forced to shoot these moments creatively, but the film is inarguably stronger for it.

On a related note, the first DVD pressing for this film came with very bland English subtitles. Apparently, the distributers wanted to avoid paying royalties to the prestigious translator who provided the subtitles for the theatrical release of the film, so they hired a cheaper colleague. The DVD translation lacks the subtle wit, sarcasm, and contextual undertones that arose with the original translation. Thankfully, fan outcry has convinced the DVD distributer to furnish all future pressings with the theatrical subtitles. Look for the DVD that advertises this moniker on the back cover.