Using an innocent, lonely 12-year old girl called Eli as your villain is a stroke of genius. It mixes up the vampire genre, but more importantly sets the stage for an emotionally and ethically complex film. ‘Let the Right One in’ thus rises above the horror genre and becomes much more than avampire flick.

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In a nutshell…

Oskar, also 12, who lives with his divorced mother in a Swedish council flat, is continually picked on by classmates. When Eli moves into the flat next door, Oskar finds a friend, a confident and someone who encourages him to stand up for himself. Eli carries a dark secret herself. She is strong, cold to touch and smells funny according to Oskar.

The mood of the film…

‘Let the Right One in’ has a dark and ominous feeling to it. The council flats are scary enough, but the continuous snow and darkness of a Swedish winter make for a bleak, yet beautiful setting.

What sets this film apart though is the humanity portrayed so surprisingly well by two child actors.

Eli’s superhuman strength and immortality is a stark contrast to her vulnerability – a 12year old simply can’t live on her own, go out shopping for clothes, wash her hair, try to blend in or cope with the loneliness. She needs a mother.

Oskar on the other hand needs a father. He is struggling with adolescence and the same loneliness Eli feels.

The two children connect and even though they are surrounded by violence, death and a bleak landscape, their interactions are innocent and fragile.

Best one liner…

Oskar: Are you really twelve?

Eli: Yes. It’s just I’ve been twelve for a very long time.

Best scene…

The film is made out of ‘best scenes’ stitched together into 115minutes. But if forced to choose I would have to mention the scene where Eli admits what she is to Oskar. It is difficult to describe, but here goes.

Late one night Oskar knocks on her door. She lets him into the flat, but immediately closes a glass door between the two of them. They place their hands on either side of the glass.

Oskar asks if she is a vampire.

Eli says yes.

Oskar does not flinch. Eli opens the door and lets him in.

The fragile glass door was her protection from being rejected.

What makes this film relevant today?

It asks some really difficult questions. How do we deal with loneliness, the isolation we all feel within society, the revenge we all want to take and the boring lives so many people live?

Rotten Tomatoes score

97%

My score

98%

Youtube link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZJUgsZ56vQ