Let the Right One In Film Review

Oskar is twelve years old. He lives in his inner world and has no friends. That is until strange new neighbors move in. The film takes place in the early 1980's in a suburb of Stockholm. It's Winter, and the days are short. Someone is killing men and boys in the area. Oskar is not afraid, and seems innocently fascinated. He finds peace in the quietness of the night, outside the apartment where he lives.

One night, as Oskar imagines revenge against the boys at school who bully him, he meets Eli. She's the mysterious girl from next door. Eli is also "twelve" and is not interested in being friends at first. The second night they run into each other, they begin a conversation. It's the inception of a unique friendship.

Eli is a vampire. She is able to conceal her true identity from Oskar for some time, although he seems to suspect something out-of-the-ordinary about her from the beginning. Because he's found a friend in a lonely world, he doesn't care who she is. Eli lives with an older man, and it's unclear (at first) if he's a vampire as well. He's the assailant in the news and is helping Eli by collecting blood for her. After an unfortunate event, Eli soon finds herself on her own.

"Let the Right One In" takes on a dual-personality. Oskar deals with school, bullies and spends the nights with Eli. They find comfort in each other as the neighbors clamor to explain what is happening all around them. For Oskar, it's a beginning of something he never imagined. For Eli, it's all too familiar.

This film is haunting and eerie, helped by camera work that seems slightly reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick. But it is not a typical horror picture. Don't expect to be on the edge of your seat, as it is subdued to enhance the tone. Expect what you would from a vampire movie, but it's a love story at heart. The climax is well worth slowed down pace. "Let The Right One In" draws you in slowly, and once it has you - there is no escape!