Rating: 4 1/2 stars
My immediate response: wow. This film has not left my mind since I finished watching it. I cannot get certain images and scenes out of my head, and I marvel at the film's permanence. I think this lingering quality, though it is sometimes undesired, is the mark of a great work of art. I remember some of my favorite films lingering in a similar manner (Children of Men, Eternal Sunshine, etc.), and as I would recall those images and scenes, new meaning and significance would inevitably arise.
Such is the case with this film, I believe.
I absolutely agree with pretty much everything you wrote in your post, Justin. I don't think there is anything I would change about this film. The writing, cinematography, sound design, casting, directing, and acting all felt complete. You wondered if all foreign films are always perfectly acted with nothing out of place, and it sure seems that way. I'll briefly offer my two cents regarding that. First, there is definitely a filtering process taking place with foreign films. Only films receiving critical praise, usually at the major film festivals, or those with some commercial appeal will be picked up for distribution in the United States. This means that when a foreign film does reach our shores, it is probably a good film. Trivial or puff movies that would absolutely fail at the box-office aren't even considered for distribution. Secondly, there is really only one national cinema, that of India, that rivals Hollywood in terms of moneymaking and the number of films produced -- India actually surpasses the number of films made in the United States. In all other nations, it is much harder to produce a film with a significant international presence. Therefore, instead of getting a Swedish Transformers or some other mind numbingly dumb waste of celluloid, we get superbly crafted works of art. Granted, we lack exposure to the majority of foreign films, and they may have their own cinematic drivel that doesn't reach us, but I'd like to believe that the difficulty of producing film in these countries forces the poser filmmakers into other professions. Thus, the people actually willing to put forth the effort to make a film are genuine artists. At least that's my romanticized notion of things.
Anyway, back to Let the Right One In. What a beautiful, chilling, poignant, and shocking film! Like you said, the vampire element is really just on the side; it's not the central feature of the narrative, and that is one of its most distinguishing characteristics. It's a film about two lonely twelve-year olds. Oskar is scrawny and has a terrible haircut; he comes from a broken home and spends most of his time alone. He's constantly bullied, has revenge fantasies, and is morbidly fascinated with murder and death. Eli (pronounced 'el-lee' not 'e-lie') lives on the move and cannot stay too long in any one place; she wants friends, but the reality of her existence demands that she remain solitary. For both of them, normal childhood is not an option. They need each other, and, for better or worse, are exactly what the other needs. They provide one another friendship and companionship, as well as protection and support. I would like to think that their connection is genuine and sincere, but I can see where others might be suspicious of their relationship. It is possible that Eli manipulates Oskar into becoming her new helper, like others before him. She recognized in him the characteristics that would make him a good assistant and then manipulated him into loving her. I see how you could interpret things that way, but my personal opinion leans toward the sweeter, genuine connection. I don't know if you have read this, Justin, but according to the IMDB trivia, Oskar spells out P-U-S-S in morse code -- that means little kiss in Swedish -- when he and Eli are travelling on the train at the end of the film. Just a sweet little moment.
I've got to agree with you on the use of the cinematography and sound; both are simply superb.
I think I'll write about some of the film's more memorable moments before closing this initial response.
The meat and potatoes of the story is the relationship between Eli and Oskar, but there are some genuinely frightening and horrific moments in this film. I love that the director never resorts to cheap make-you-jump scares. Right before we see Eli kill Jocke in the tunnel under the road, the director subverts our expectations. Eli calls out for Jocke to help her, and he begins walking toward her. The whole time I was waiting for her to spring her attack, and the tension was quite high as the film had yet to show her attack anyone. As he nears her, a loud truck speeds by on the road over the tunnel, and it is at that moment that a normal horror film would have sprung make-you-jump moment. Instead, nothing happens. The trucks goes by, and Jocke continues walking towards Eli. By not resorting to the expected tactic, the director is able to create an even heightened sense of dread and tension. It's really quite brilliant.
I found Virginia's subplot very interesting as it shows what happens to those who are bitten but not killed, and it also leads to two of the most startling images that have stuck with me. How crazy is the scene where she gets attacked by the cats? I found that pretty creepy and awesome. Then in the hospital, rather than allow her transformation into a vampire to become complete, she asks the orderly to raise the blinds. I was not expecting her to burst into flames; it was definitely a very stark and memorable moment. This makes me wonder if Eli would always make certain to kill those she bit, like she did with Jocke. It seems to me, since we already know that she doesn't like to kill people but does so to survive, that she is merciful to her victims by not putting them through the painful transformation that Virginia has to go through. I wonder, not knowing much of Eli's back story yet, if she were bitten by a vampire at the age of twelve and went through that process herself. Just some speculation.
I also really enjoyed the scene when Eli climbs into bed with Oskar. She is still cautious and wary of revealing her true self to Oskar and won't let him look at her. He lies on his side and she climbs in behind him. This strikes me as a particularly intense scene. Oskar not only makes himself vulnerable emotionally by asking Eli to go steady with him, but he is also, without knowing it, extremely vulnerable physically. His neck is easily accessible, and should Eli feel the desire to bite him, it would be the easiest thing in the world. I love the tension his dual-vulnerability creates in this scene. Eli agrees to go steady, and Oskar peacefully slips into slumber. The most lasting image of the scene takes place then as Eli lightly traces her fingertips from Oskar's shoulder down the length of his arm and ends by slipping her hand into his. It's a shockingly sweet and tender moment that leads me to believe that the emotional connection they share is genuine.
The final moment I will discuss relates to the clip of the film you posted on your other blog and why I feel that the clip needed to run another few seconds to achieve the maximum emotional effect. When Oskar is saved and he comes up out of the water, the camera focuses on his face. After taking in a deep breath, he slowly opens his eyes. The next shot is from his point-of-view, and we see Eli, Oskar's protector. Rather than showing us all of Eli's face or even a shot of her whole body, we get a close-up on the upper half of her face, framed halfway up her nose to most of her forehead.
I believe this to be a very significant shot. Every other time Oskar was near Eli when her vampire instincts came out, he was scared or disgusted by what he saw. Even after he helps her defeat Lacke, he merely stands there as she, still covered in Lacke's blood, hugs him and thanks him. I interpret Oskar's actions as indicative of his hesitance to truly accept Eli; he wants to but struggles to move into complete acceptance. In the aforementioned POV shot, Oskar sees Eli's eyes (which are always very striking and, I think, different colors throughout the film) and nothing more. He doesn't see her mouth, which would be covered with blood, or her hands or anything that would remind him of her vampire brutality. No, he just sees her eyes. This shot informs me that Oskar has completely accepted Eli for who she is. The fact that she is a vampire that kills to survive and will brutally kill to protect him doesn't matter anymore. He chooses not to see that, or at least to not get hung up on that. This is the pivotal moment of the film's climax, and I love that the director chose to convey it subtly through his shot selection. Then I love how Oskar smiles at Eli, and she, still framed in that close-up, returns the smile, and we can see she is smiling only in the slight movement of her cheeks. Her reciprocal smile is what is missing from your clip. It's a beautiful interchange, one of my favorites of the entire film, another example of how perfectly the film mixes the beautiful with the horrific.
I've seen this film twice now, and I feel like we've only just scratched the surface of all there is worthy of discussion. Great choice, my man. Great choice, indeed.
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