What I Watched -- Let the Right One In

I read a review of this movie somewhere, which was so glowing that I was compelled to watch the movie. Let me start out by saying that I'm not much for vampire movies. I've seen two of the Twilight films, mostly because I wanted to know what all the fuss was about.

I'm not sure what was so great about this movie. I mean, it was good, but I'm not sure what everyone's raving about.

It's really a simple story. Two outcast children find each other and make friends. Oskar is a nerdy boy who is the unfortunate object of the attentions of the school bullies. Eli is a strange girl, a recent addition to his apartment block, who just so happens to be a vampire. They make friends, and are stronger together than either of them could have been apart. Oskar doesn't judge Eli, because he knows what it's like to be judged. Eli's strength and speed help Oskar assert himself. The story of the relationship they build, though simple, is powerful. Eli not only has to control herself around Oskar, but also has to decide to let him know the real her. And he has to decide whether or not to accept her. Serious stuff, for a pair of 12-year-olds, even if one of them has been 12 for "a while."

The film, based on a novel by the screenwriter, was originally made in Sweden. The dubbing into English is awful; the voices are unaffected and they don't sound like they belong to the characters at all. The Swedish setting - the Stockholm suburbs - is perfect. It's stark, cold, and terribly appropriate. Everything about this movie is harsh: Oskar's relationship with his (separated) parents; Eli's relationship with the strange man who looks after her; life in Stockholm; school as a bullied kid. Many of the scenes take place at night, which is not surprising, but adds to the dark tone.

Somehow, though, despite being about kids and vampires, and despite not leaving out a single one of the "vampire" cliches (avoiding sunlight, not eating, being impervious to cold, physical strength, etc.), this movie takes itself seriously enough that you take it seriously also. It avoids the comical over-dramatization of the Twilight movies, and that lack of acknowledgment of its silliness somehow makes it compelling.

Bottom line: I almost have to agree with the critic quoted on the front of the DVD - probably the best vampire movie I've ever seen. But take that with a grain of salt, because (a) I'm not a cult vampire movie fanatic, and (b) I've actually never even seen the classic Dracula - or any version of Dracula, come to think of it - so how can I really judge?