Let the Right One In
Let the Right One In introduces the melancholic allure of the lonely vampire to a Swedish junior high school in winter 1982. Attuned to the bristling hypersensitivities of its preteen protagonists, the film rhymes the miseries of two soulmates: the ravenous vampire girl who can never die and the 12-year-old boy who can never fit in.
By day young Oskar is the victim of relentless bullying. By night he dreams of revenge. He fills a notebook with details of the gruesome blood-lettings. Eli, the new girl next door, seems just as much a misfit: she never feels the cold, she smells weird, she can't enter a room unless she's invited, but she understands Oskar.
Reviews & comments
Variety
pressCalling to mind the work of Anne Rice and Stephen King, atmospheric adaptation of Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist's bestseller is well directed by his countryman Tomas Alfredson ("Four Shades of Brown") and should click with cult and arthouse auds.
The New York Times
pressThere is a remarkable stillness to many of the film's most indelible images, particularly the exteriors, which are so carefully photographed, and without the usual tiresome camera jiggling, as to look almost frozen.
Roger Ebert
pressThe young actors are powerful in draining roles. We care for them more than they care for themselves. Alfredson's palette is so drained of warm colors that even fresh blood is black.
New Zealand Herald
pressInterestingly, while most contemporary horrors rely on fast cuts and snappy editing to create tension, Alfredson's manages to make his film excruciatingly suspenseful by doing the opposite and the result is an intelligent, terrifying and tender film.
Los Angeles Times
pressIn this sinister but gorgeous and compelling film by director Tomas Alfredson, being human and acting human don't always go together.
Hollywood Reporter
pressA moody adaptation of the Swedish best-seller about a fateful mortal-vampire romance, Let the Right One In is atypically literate and unexpectedly affecting suspense fare. Complex characters, ominous situations fraught with mortality and the recklessness of youthful ardor create a tense and subtly shaded narrative.
Film Threat
pressThe best fairy tales always have so much darkness in them. That's why they resonate so deeply. This is a magnificent film.
I love films about humans who fall in love with ghosts/vampires/non-humans. This is another in that fantastic canon. Gruesome and sweet - who would have thought those two descriptions could go together? Some parts are really inventive, and I'm still thinking about it days later. This coming-of-age tale is recommended by me.
Phwoar! This is a beautiful film... engrossing and always surprising. For sheer impact, not much rivals this in recent times except The Dark Knight.
It's really unfair how this film is only in cinama's in Auckland, esp. seeing as it gained really high reviews. Anyhoo, the film is brilliant. Not as good as the book, but the actors show such brilliance in the characters they portrayed. I love the wintery fell it has to it to. To anyone thinking of seeing it (or if you already have), READ THE BOOK! It will...
I saw this film a week ago and am still enjoying the flashbacks. Captivating performances by its ethereal leads, meticulous cinemaphotography and precise direction make this one film you must not miss.
The cinematography wins this flick an extra star as it creates the perfect snowy, blizzard-like wintry setting for a film about young outcasts. The hook is in the basic plot lines and there's a uniqueness to the film which is great, especially in the focus on the bond between the two youngsters. It only falls short of being really compelling in its dialogue...
Hvaing played to great cheers at the last Film Festival, it is a pleasure to see this teenage love story/vampire film come back for a theatrical release. Eli, the young object of first friendship then a growing love for Oskar, is a shadowy but likable figure in this film and her middle -aged male ghoul is possible the clumsiest servant of a vampire since...
Variety
pressCalling to mind the work of Anne Rice and Stephen King, atmospheric adaptation of Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist's bestseller is well directed by his countryman Tomas Alfredson ("Four Shades of Brown") and should click with cult and arthouse auds.
The New York Times
pressThere is a remarkable stillness to many of the film's most indelible images, particularly the exteriors, which are so carefully photographed, and without the usual tiresome camera jiggling, as to look almost frozen.
Roger Ebert
pressThe young actors are powerful in draining roles. We care for them more than they care for themselves. Alfredson's palette is so drained of warm colors that even fresh blood is black.
New Zealand Herald
pressInterestingly, while most contemporary horrors rely on fast cuts and snappy editing to create tension, Alfredson's manages to make his film excruciatingly suspenseful by doing the opposite and the result is an intelligent, terrifying and tender film.
Los Angeles Times
pressIn this sinister but gorgeous and compelling film by director Tomas Alfredson, being human and acting human don't always go together.
Hollywood Reporter
pressA moody adaptation of the Swedish best-seller about a fateful mortal-vampire romance, Let the Right One In is atypically literate and unexpectedly affecting suspense fare. Complex characters, ominous situations fraught with mortality and the recklessness of youthful ardor create a tense and subtly shaded narrative.
Film Threat
pressThe best fairy tales always have so much darkness in them. That's why they resonate so deeply. This is a magnificent film.
I love films about humans who fall in love with ghosts/vampires/non-humans. This is another in that fantastic canon. Gruesome and sweet - who would have thought those two descriptions could go together? Some parts are really inventive, and I'm still thinking about it days later. This coming-of-age tale is recommended by me.
Phwoar! This is a beautiful film... engrossing and always surprising. For sheer impact, not much rivals this in recent times except The Dark Knight.
It's really unfair how this film is only in cinama's in Auckland, esp. seeing as it gained really high reviews. Anyhoo, the film is brilliant. Not as good as the book, but the actors show such brilliance in the characters they portrayed. I love the wintery fell it has to it to. To anyone thinking of seeing it (or if you already have), READ THE BOOK! It...
I saw this film a week ago and am still enjoying the flashbacks. Captivating performances by its ethereal leads, meticulous cinemaphotography and precise direction make this one film you must not miss.
The cinematography wins this flick an extra star as it creates the perfect snowy, blizzard-like wintry setting for a film about young outcasts. The hook is in the basic plot lines and there's a uniqueness to the film which is great, especially in the focus on the bond between the two youngsters. It only falls short of being really compelling in its...
Hvaing played to great cheers at the last Film Festival, it is a pleasure to see this teenage love story/vampire film come back for a theatrical release. Eli, the young object of first friendship then a growing love for Oskar, is a shadowy but likable figure in this film and her middle -aged male ghoul is possible the clumsiest servant of a vampire since...
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