If you’ve heard of ‘Let The Right One In,’ then you may have heard it described as a Swedish vampire film. While that it is in some ways correct, the film is so much more than that and exceeds any simple labels that can be thrown upon it. I would have to say it is, in the simplest of ways, a drama which utilizes a vampire as one of its main characters while drawing very heavily on it’s establishment of mood; very much like a Sofia Coppola film.
The plot summary is a simple one, and that is because the focus isn’t on plot intricacy and complications but rather on mood and emotion. Oskar, an outcast twelve-year-old boy and the product of peer abuse and divorced parents, falls in love with his new neighbor Eli. She happens to be a vampire. The two children explore innocent love and affection, while dealing with their respective difficulties within a cold world that has cast them aside. We first meet Oskar in the midst of plotting revenge against the bullies at his school. Eli gives him the strength to stand up to them, while Oskar gives Eli the feeling of being normal and wanted for once in her existence.
On the surface, yes this is a move with vampires. To judge the film based solely as a vampire flick, it is pretty darn cool, but I would still rate it as top notch as a drama for a multitude of reasons. First, the film is a thing of beauty. Imagery wise, this ranks up there with my favorites. Set during a stark winter, the films visuals don’t let up after the simple and beautiful opening credits. More impressively, ninety-nine percent of the film appears to be special effect free. Simple and pure photography goes a long way in my book. Not to mention, it contains some of the coolest vampire scenes I’ve ever seen. In addition, the sound effects and score are perfectly used throughout, properly setting up the creepy moody and tension without giving anything away. Finally, the filmmakers don’t treat the viewers as idiots. People excited to see this film are most likely going to like vampires and know a little about them. The vampire mythology and storyline is dropped right into the middle of the real world innocent love story. Nothing is spelled out for the viewers. When something happens, there isn’t a line telling us why, the film allows viewers to figure things out themselves. Why do filmmakers have to explain vampire mythology all over again in every film like we’ve never heard it before?
Nothing is over the top, even when Eli displays some of her vampire abilities, and the film sort of glides smoothly over the viewer. The violent scenes are shot from a voyeuristic point of view, instead of an in your face bloodbath, which creates a far more unnerving feeling. There were three or four times that I smiled with vampire giddiness because the film was so unique and welcoming.
The film works as an effective character study of two lost children just trying to find some love in the world as well as a refreshing vampire flick. While I felt there were some question marks in the storyline, the overall beauty and boldness of the film more than make up for any missteps. I begged in a previous entry for a good vampire movie, and Sweden beat Hollywood to the punch. Well fear not, because Hollywood has already bought the rights to remake ‘Let The Right Ones In’ since they couldn’t come up with an original idea themselves.
i think people are really picking up on the "sofia coppola/jarmusch" style of filmaking. photographers turned film-makers--tends to have these big still scenes. very little camera movement, all about framing and color...i liked that about this movie too.
ReplyDeleteinnocent? i don't know about that.
the pool scene was the best part.