Let the Right One In (2008) - A Subtle, Somber Meditation on Human Connection

Upon first glance, Tomas Alfredson's Let the Right One In is a movie about vampires. One would probably venture to classify it as a horror movie. Perhaps even a film that aligns closely with stories that are traditionally of the romance genre. None of these reductive designations quite do this dark, sober, and wholly unique film its justice.

I would caution against trying to position Let the Right One In into any conventional category. It doesn't really fit.

Alfredson's film is an adaptation of a novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, who also wrote the movie's screenplay. It tells the story of an unlikely bond that forms between Oskar, a lonely, troubled Stockholm boy, and Eli, a young girl of Oskar's age who is likewise isolated and alone. The two neighbors gradually find solace and close friendship in one another, though their relationship is not without its quirks.

Eli is not your typical young girl, you see. She's a vampire, presumably centuries old, and perhaps not even a girl at all. This doesn't seem to faze Oskar. Their connection transcends the complicated details of Eli's unusual, supernatural past.

They each seem to fill a void in one another's lives. Oskar has no friends. He's viciously bullied at school. His parents don't appear to pay him much attention. He is alone. And the anguish inside of him is beginning to bubble up to the surface. We are introduced to Oskar as he fantasizes about stabbing his bullies with a knife. Perhaps this is even practice for what he plans to eventually do to his tormentors. He spends his nights examining newspaper clippings of brutal murders. He is headed down a very dark path.

Then he encounters Eli. She too is alone. Due to her vampiric nature, she is forced to spend the daylight hours hibernating in her dark apartment. Anyone familiar with vampire lore understands she would otherwise burn up in the sun. And whether she wants to or not, she must rely on blood as her only source of sustenance. And in order to acquire this blood, people must die. Both of them have an undeniable darkness within them. But both of them, also, crave connection. This is what they provide one another. Genuine connection with another person. In the end, that's what we all truly desire as human beings. Oskar and Eli are no different.

Let the Right One In is not a scary film. Those who are squeamish may find some of its gorier sequences a little unpleasant. But its primary goal is not to scare you. Ultimately, Alfredson has created a film that explores the peculiar but poignant relationship between these two children. The fact that there are vampires involved is largely irrelevant.

Caustic, melancholic, and completely bereft of warm colors, Let the Right One In generates a chilly atmosphere that echoes its solemn characters. The film is paced very methodically, with each scene extracting just the right amount of intrigue from the audience as it gradually constructs its narrative without one iota of verbal exposition. The delicate storytelling that Alfredson employs sharply contrasts the austere, violent nature of the subject matter.

It's a beautiful movie, bloodsuckers and all. And it's certainly worthy of a watch, even for those who don't fancy horror films.

A-

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