Let Me In. Like the original movie, this is a story about a young boy named Owen and his relationship with a a young (not really that young) vampire named Abby. I read part of a movie review that implied that this was a shot-for-shot remake of the original movie ‘Let the Right One In.’ I wouldn't say it is a 100% shot-for-shot remake, but it is close enough.
Anyways, I’m attaching my review of the original movie to the end of this post. Obviously, the original impacted me far greater than this movie did – of course, since the movies are very similar it isn’t like my I'm going to have the same reaction as I did a couple years back.
I didn’t think the original was one of the great movies of the year – back in 2008 – but I did find it disturbing and beautiful. As for this re-make: I found it a little repetitive, which is an obvious statement.
What did I enjoy about this re-make? I liked the fact that certain answers were provided that I felt were left open-ended in the original, and that certain logical disconnects were tied up. For example, the older gentleman was definitely a seduced young lover and not her father. In the original, I questioned why such a young vampire would kill in the open. Perhaps this question was answered and I just missed certain hints, but in this movie the reason she kills in front of another person is obvious. The one open question that wasn’t addressed is why does this young vampire need her lover to kill for her. In this movie, it is obvious that she has strength to take down even the most athletic human being. I also don’t fully understand why she’d want to manipulate someone so young into doing this for her. Obviously, Owen is way too young to take on such duties for her (as was her previous lover -- initially). Perhaps as Owen grows older, his desire to please his vampire lover will cause him to kill for her – or perhaps she will somehow manipulate him to do this for her.
Over-all opinion of the movie: once again, I think this movie falls short of being a great movie, but it is still worthy of the vampire film canon.
Original Review posted on an old Blog I used to keep.Let the Right One In: Overly Long Movie Review
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Let the Right One In
This is a Swedish Vampire movie (subtitled). It is about a 12-year old boy named Oskar, who is regularly bullied by his classmates, and a 12-ish-year old girl vampire named Eli, who becomes his friend.
The story starts out with Oskar looking out his bedroom window during a cold winter night. Below an older gentleman and a 12-year old girl exit a taxi with their luggage. A night or two later, the old gentleman botches an attempted blood draining of a young man. Oskar is out in the playground and the young vampire, starving, comes out. This could result in Oskar becoming the vampire's meal, but instead they start a friendship which eventually turns into tween love.
We learn that Oskar is being bullied by his classmates. Eli encourages him to fight back. Eventually he does, sending the lead bully to the doctor. This leads to the finale where the bullies go after Oskar and Eli comes to his rescue – bloody results and all.
I wouldn't rank this as one of the great movies of 2008, but it sure did get my attention. One person in the theatre left saying, "Marry Christmas everyone." A couple of teenagers walked into the movie a little late and saw the subtitles, "Oh, this is a foreign movie." I wonder if they walked out impressed or irritated.
Tween Sexuality
The very first scene of Oskar -- in my mind -- is on the verge of child pornography. And mid-way through the movie, there is a shot of Eli's pubic area. That right there indicates that this is a foreign flick. If a director did this in America, I suspect we'd have outcries . . . and not just from the religious right. Actually, I'm surprised that that shot of Eli made the American cut – perhaps I don't fully understand the child pornography laws in America. But those two shots also show the ambiguous nature of this movie. I was talking to someone about this film who said that the shot of Eli might have indicated that Eli was a fully castrated boy. This makes sense to a degree, because in the book (the movie is adapted) Eli is a boy vampire. Also, in the movie, Eli asks Oskar if he'd still like her if she wasn't a girl. The obvious thought process is that she is asking if he'd still like her if he knew she was a vampire. But given the ambiguity in the movie, perhaps Eli means that not only is she a vampire, but that she really isn't a she.
The Older Gentleman
I believe that the nature of the older gentleman is the crux of the film, because I think it determines how you view the Oskar/Eli relationship. (I'm going to assume here that Eli is a girl vampire and not a boy vampire, and that the whole above discussion regarding tween sexuality was just a homage to the book. The individual I discussed the movie with also mentioned that Eli's voice is dubbed, because the director wanted an ambiguous feel to the movie – meaning the child playing Eli has a voice that sounds too girlish.) Is the older gentleman her father or a person Eli met in the distant pass? There are signals that make this inconclusive. When the older gentleman is captured for an attempted murder, Eli goes to the hospital and says she's looking for her father. Of course, it only makes sense for her to ask for her father as she can't really say she's looking for her lover. Earlier, there is a tender moment where Eli touches his face and he tenderly accepts it. Is this a picture of former lovers or a tender daughter-father moment? The older gentleman also asks Eli not to talk to Oskar for a night. Is this a sign of jealousy or a father concerned about his daughter getting too close to a human?
Oskar-Eli relationship
Early in the movie the older gentleman botches an attempted blood draining to feed Eli. Does Eli realize she needs a replacement for her former lover or does she really find herself drawn to Oskar? To me, once again there are signs that point in either direction. There is a moment where the two are out on a date. Oskar buys some treats. He offers the treats to Eli, but she declines. Oskar is hurt – he doesn't yet realize she's a vampire. Eli says, "Perhaps I can try one." The next scene shows her gagging. She does this out of view from Oskar though he does catch her last few gags. There is a moment where the two are in bed together, she seemingly needing his comfort. There is also a moment where Oskar is rather irritated with Eli. She knocks on his door. He doesn't exactly let her in, but she walks in anyways and begins to tremble violently with blood streaming from her body. Oskar screams that he lets her in. Is this a powerful moment of trust on Eli's part or a strategic move of manipulation? And there is also a moment after the older gentleman is captured, where Eli shows Oskar that even though she lives a simple life she has plenty of money to survive on. Is she trying to tempt him to become her next savior?
Based on how you see the older gentleman, you can view this as either a love story or a vampire manipulating a young boy.
My major issue with the movie
Eli is a rather stupid vampire. She kills in the open. Can't she attack some solo person in a park versus attacking two people outside a large apartment complex where who knows who is looking out the window or walking pass? Yes, people see her murder/blood suck a couple individuals.
My issue with the movie 2
The older gentleman obviously did the killing for Eli throughout his life, which makes her seem rather dependant on him. The reason she turns into a killing machine is because he's gotten older and can no longer do a very efficient job killing people. But even after she becomes a killing machine, he still does the clean up as there is a scene where he disposes of a body that Eli has sucked the life out of. And yet there are a number of counter moments that prove that Eli isn't some normal 12 year old who isn't strong enough to do her own blood sucking. When she is forced to attack a victim, she easily (though with a tinge of regret) breaks his neck. She climbs up the side of a hospital wall with ease. And the ending, you don't see her attack, but you do see plenty of body parts. She must be a vampire with a conscious who is guilt ridden when killing to survive, because she's obviously strong enough to kill any human. Maybe this is a minor issue that I have with the movie, but shouldn't she at least help with the hunt?
And why exactly doesn't she hang out with other vampires.
Anyways
This is a movie that is disturbing and yet beautiful. It is a twisted movie that allows you to believe in love, but gives you enough hints to make you suspicious that there is manipulation going on. The box office is just over $1 million while Twilight (the other vampire movie this fall/winter) is zooming past $150 million. I haven't seen Twilight yet, but I will say that it is too bad that there is such a significant box office gap between the two.
If you can't handle subtitled movies, be on the look out in a year or two because an Americanized version of this movie is being produced.
