Let The Right One In
There are very few truly great vampire movies, but Let The Right One In makes the list of greats a little longer. A Swedish film, Let The Right One In, is subtitled and set during a frozen Swedish winter. It’s the story of Oskar, a constantly bullied and isolated twelve year-old boy, and Eli, a quiet and serious girl of “about twelve” who moves in next-door. Eli, of course, is not the typical girl next-door. She only comes out after dark, she’s completely unaffected by the bitter cold and while she’s twelve years old, it’s only in appearance. Eli has been twelve for as long as she can remember, she’s a vampire. The two form a relationship, a love of sorts, but it’s something other than beautiful.
To call Let The Right One In a love story between two lost and lonely souls is, to me, quite inaccurate. It’s a love story, but the story is harsh and dysfunctional, cold as winter. Oskar finds strength, companionship, and even comfort in Eli, but at a price, a price he’s far too young to fully understand.
Love isn’t always beautiful, sometimes it’s sad and broken. Sometimes we love what hurts us. That’s the essence of Let The Right One In.
Share me:
