Let the Right One In tells the story of the friendship between Oskar, a 12y.o. weak sweet boy bullied at school, and Eli, a 12y.o. strong lonely vampire girl who moves to Oskar's building in Stockholm.
If vampires existed in the modern world, how would they live? Most probably as they are portrayed in this movie. It is the believability of the story what will appeal to people who usually hate vampire movies, like me. The story does not focus on the gory part of the life of a Vampire, but on the physical and emotional needs they have to survive and how they make do in the modern world. At the same time, the vampire theme glues well with a story that would have been terrific per se as it approaches with honesty the sins of modern urban society: isolation, loneliness, craving for affection, miscommunication, and friendship/love as redemption. The struggle of Oskar at school, his alienation from his divorced parents, the struggle of Eli to be loved and have a normal life, her guilt at having to kill to survive, are equally believable and intriguing.
The appeal and success of the movie are indebted in equal parts to the script and the terrific performances of the leading young actors Kåre Hedebrant as Oskar, Lina Leandersson as Elis, and Patrik Rydmark as the leader of the bullies. The leading couple has great chemistry on camera in part because both kids have a physique that mixes innocence and strength, and they complement each other physically.
The atmosphere is fantastic - peaceful and menacing at the same time. One of the best points of the cinematography is that it is rarely "dark", but virginal white or very luminous, even the night shots, so most of the clichés of the genre are turned over and revamped, leaving those elements strictly necessary for the narrative of the genre to work in the 21st century. The movie has some funny and shocking scenes, too, the one with the cats and the burning in hospital among the most memorable.
An excellent romantic horror film, with a terrific script, good performances and a great atmosphere, which will captivate both lovers and haters of the genre. An American remake has recently been made of this film, also with very good reviews, but who wants to watch an imitation, the original being brilliant?
