Låt den rätte komma in (2008)

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Director:

Tomas Alfredson

Writers:

John Ajvide Lindqvist (novel)
John Ajvide Lindqvist (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 October 2008 (Norway)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Sport

Tagline:

Oscar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl who turns out to be a vampire.

Plot:

Oskar, a bullied 12-year old, dreams of revenge. He falls in love with Eli, a peculiar girl. She can't...

Plot Keywords:

Sunlight | Severed Arm | 1980s | Taxi | Swimming Baths

Awards:

11 wins

Cast

Kåre Hedebrant	...	Oskar
Lina Leandersson	...	Eli
Per Ragnar	...	Håkan
Henrik Dahl	...	Erik
Karin Bergquist	...	Yvonne
Peter Carlberg	...	Lacke
Ika Nord	...	Virginia
Mikael Rahm	...	Jocke
Karl-Robert Lindgren	...	Gösta (as Karl Robert Lindgren)
Anders T. Peedu	...	Morgan (as Anders Peedu)
Pale Olofsson	...	Larry (as Paul Olofsson)
Cayetano Ruiz	...	Magister Avila
Patrik Rydmark	...	Conny
Johan Sömnes	...	Andreas
Mikael Erhardsson	...	Martin

Also Known As:

Let the Right One In (UK) (USA) (new title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some bloody violence including disturbing images, brief nudity and language.

Runtime:

Sweden:114 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Sweden:15 | USA:R | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

Boden, Norrbottens län, Sweden

Company:

Chimney Pot, The

Movie Connections:

Remade as Let the Right One In (2010)

Generally moody and calm on its almost 2 hour running time, audiences will be spellbound if not disinterested.

Thematically rich "Låt Den Rätte Komma In" hits refresh on the vampire genre with an interesting outlook on character and its development. Casting is accurate although out, as even with the sinister events, performances are played with such convincing skill that its subtext is never overshadowed. Generally moody and calm on its almost 2 hour running time, audiences will be spellbound if not disinterested.

Film follows the empathetic and anemic looking Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant); desperate for friends and also revenge on bullies who mistreat him in school. Main protagonist eventually meets with the mysteriously charismatic Eli (Lina Leandersson) who slowly unravels herself as a character of the dark. Events transpire that further cements an unlikely friendship of sorts, leading to a very bloody finale. The film is no doubt not for the squeamish as even with the abundance of tender scenes between Oskar and Eli, violence is still undeniably present which is depicted in either a repulsive or comedic light.

Archaic monsters have always been an allegory towards a more imminent threat, like Romania's Dracula for Eastern Europeans immigrating to Western Europe, threatening the economy. In Tomas Alfredson's modern twist, Eli's fangs are treated as if it were of biological origins, which need a treatment that may pose morality questions. Her paternal figure becomes the film's tragic core as he emphasizes the depressing lengths he would go through to sustain Eli's thirst for blood. Although played as if he was paternal, further reveals later would show his function was to foreshadow the main protagonist's future removed from this micro cosmos.

Also interesting is Alfredson's play on the sexual identification of the creature. All femmes become fatales in one way or another, whilst male characters turn into almost bathetic who are never snapped out of a hypnotic spell. Also seen in Almodovar's "Hable Con Ella", technique adds a level of sophistication to the proceedings and further enriches their characterizations.

As with old Hollywood's Dracula, Eli is perfectly portrayed by Lina Leandersson as she not so much carry the entire film, but devours the role. Shiny eyes not seen since Puss in Boot's "Shrek", she gains easy support from audiences just from her look alone. Perfectly matched with Kåre Hedebrant, leads instantly become characters worth caring about, that even the murders that conspire become a necessity.

Set in Scandinavia, film reminds of "30 Days of Night" as it's filmed as if it never sees the sun and is forever winter. Of course, this works well with the illusion of having the main character as someone who would burst into flames if UV rays touches her skin. This, among others are the film's small touches that further cement the mythology on vampires and adds some more, even. Cats provide a darkly hilarious spin as the film reaches 30 minutes before the credits.

"Låt Den Rätte Komma In" is indeed an enjoyable intimate celebration of loneliness and the things that transpire from it. Setting it with a vamp angle further uplifts the thematical significance of the film, although even if they exist, picture doesn't pretend to be more than it actually is. Conceived with a specific audience in mind, the curious would also be rewarded. Film often reaches subliminal moments that will live long in the memory.