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I’ll admit this wont be the most detailed review about the movie Let the Right One In (2008) since most I know nothing about the cast and original in Swedish, there is something about movies on other languages that I just prefer to use subtitles and enjoy them as they are, this movie made me feel all kinds of ways, from sad for Oskar at the same time fear for him since he know nothing who he was dealing with although he had reach rock bottom so this was better than anything else he had, a vampire friend. I got to say I love it and at the same time creeped me out, I think that is the entire point of the movie. The story gets develop in the 1980's in some dreary suburb of Sweden and we have this kid Oskar, your average 12 year old outcast, getting picked on at school and daydreaming about revenge. Comes in Eli who moves in next door, this mysterious girl, who is not really a girl and she is definitely not your average neighbor.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139797/
- Platform: AppleTV+
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It’s all about these two kids creating this weird bond, the whole movie but Eli got her own troubles though, calling it "her" is already a problem since in fact Eli is a boy but lets refer to Eli as her since the role was played by Lina Leandersson who is a girl, yes confusing times. Eli is a centuries old vampire trapped in a kid's body and Oskar's dealing with bullies and divorced parents. That’s definitely not a typical vampire story, through out the movie there is always this undercurrent of danger, but we see Oskar becoming more confident as he spends time with Eli, even after knowing Eli is a vampire, talk about NO FEAR!!
When Eli's "dad", Hakan who actually is just there as her helper, he starts messing up his attempts to get her blood, things get messy. One time he tries to drain some poor guy in the woods and it doesn't go well, the movie is not a gory slasher film way but it can unsettling as hell for some. The movie from Oskar side is sad and it’s terrifying from Eli perspective, because when Eli has to go out hunting on her own. Also the fact that Eli is a vampire and still a kid kinda makes me thing it must be hard to be a kid for ever, I would just rather die somehow after been bored with life itself.
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Tomas Alfredson, the director does a great job with these pops of red not full blown gory but you do get blood everywhere during Eli kills, the movie is also full stark whites and deep blacks intensifying that 80s vibe. The shots outside with blood all over the ice, very very crisp scenes, also the way how he uses silence and these long shots, builds up this tension that had me always tense thinking whats Eli going to do next or whats going to happen with Oskar.
This is the part where I want to talk a bit about these kids who played Oskar and Eli. Oskar played by Kare Hedebrant, the kid just fkn nail it, he just look so natural, got that perfect balance of vulnerability and hidden darkness. You can see the evil in his eyes when he is thinking about taking back on his bullies. Then to complement the two sides is Lina Leandersson as Eli, who you can totally buy that HE but lets say she has been around for centuries, she’s got this old soul vibe, she climbs up the side of a building like it’s nothing, it’s cool and creepy at the same time and its creepy how they are friends but between the two Oskar has feeling for Eli, even ask to be his girlfriend to what Eli said "Im not a girl.
The supporting cast is solid too specially Per Ragnar as Hakan who is Eli's helper. Through time Eli has been dependent on a helper to move from one place to another after things gets too messy and there is a lot of heat on them. You can tell he's devoted to Eli but it's all so messed up because who in their right mind would be devoted to a vampire? and it had to be Blade because any other Vampire is a danger to humans.
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The movie is mostly about loneliness and not just violence and blood everywhere, although at times looks like so. The movie is also a slow burner as the story drags you with Eli and Oskar "thing" going on, but it starts to build up. After Oskar ask Eli to be his girlfriend it was quite obvious he was at some point sacrifice for her or they would end up some how. Oskar once cuts his hand and Eli starts licking up the blood, it is intimate and horrifying. That's how I feel about the whole movie. It's nice to see these two outcasts come together, but one of them is a literal predator.
Other than all this facts about their relationship, the movie is just beautifully made, from the ambient, the lighting, the cast does an awesome job, one of the best vampire movies I have seen since it does bring back the intimacy between vampire and his helper. Now days genre topic in movies is a bit more flexible but after all its just entertaining, I’m not sure if I should be rooting for Oskar and Eli or if their relationship is just too messed up.
Things really get wild in the end, Oskar is at the pool with his class and the bullies try to drown him, at first what seem like a game or just been mean started to escalate. It's a brutal scene, when Eli shows up and all hell breaks loose with her brutally killing everyone, you hear these screams and see parts of bodies and it's somehow more terrifying than anything shown before during the movie. Oskar and Eli ride off together on a train in the end, there is Oskar with a box next to him where Eli is. At first hand we can say it’s a happy ending, Oskar got away from his tormentors and found someone who cares about him. It’s pretty dark but when you think about it, Oskar just signed up to be Eli’s new Hakan, her new helper, helping her get blood and following her around as he grows up as she never does, its almost romantic in a weird way and kind of tragic, there are so many contradictory aspects on this movie.
I give this movie a 8 out of 10 because as a movie itself its just awesome, there is one thing I truly enjoy and evaluate from any kind of content and is if it really make me feel anything, this movie really activate your brain, makes you like things that you wouldn't in real life, make you think things are OK when they are not, the movie itself is an entire conflict of opinions.
It’s not a movie I can say I enjoyed in the traditional sense. Let the Right One In" is horror that's more psychological than gory, bloody and than scary, its something I just love. This is a movie I would describe as a Contradictory Vampire Love Story that I would totally recommend to anyone who doesn't have a weak stomach for bloody content.
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