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Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Movie Spotlight : Låt den rätte komma (2008) @ 10:05 AM
Låt den rätte komma (2008)English Title: Let The Right One In
Starring:
Kåre Hedebrant as Oskar
Lina Leandersson as Eli
Trailer: Unfortunately Youtube will not allow me to embed the trailer so you have to visit the site for it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZJUgsZ56vQ
THIS. Oh wow. THIS is a vampire movie done right. I was absolutely awed during the whole movie.
First of all, before I say it's a vampire movie, I want to say that it's a love story. It's a love story between two young children. One of these kids just happens to be a vampire.
And before you think to yourself, Oh it's a kids movie??. . .no. No, this is not a kids movie. Not in the least. This movie deals with a lot of heavy issues, one of them being pedophilia. The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Swedish writer, John Ajvide Lindqvist. The novel deals with a lot more darker issues which the movie does touch upon but not fully. But let me not get ahead of myself.
Part of what makes the movie so great is the atmosphere. It's set in a tiny little town in Sweden and most of the exterior shots are of this pure, clean, white background. The shots give you this feeling of stillness and loneliness. Which is beset by the violence and bullying that Oskar deals with.
The protagonist is Oskar, a 12 year old boy who has no friends. He is introverted and obsessed with true crime stories. He gets bullied every day at school and when he goes home he dreams of violently murdering his classmates. However he doesn't have the courage to stand up to them.
One day, in his tiny neighborhood, he meets another child, Eli. Eli looks like a girl (and yes, I'm being vague on purpose) and looks 12 years old but is a bit strange. Eli doesn't talk like a normal kid and certainly doesn't act like a normal kid. Eli also has a strange guardian, Hakan, who acts more like Eli's lackey than a father.
When Oskar meets Eli, he's happy. He has a friend, a friend who encourages him to try to stand up for himself. It's a little bittersweet, how their loneliness brings them together and how Eli's sense of protectiveness grows around him.
Without going into too much detail, I want to mention one of my favorite scenes. It's a scene after Oskar finds out that Eli is a vampire and Eli comes to his house to visit him. At this point, he doesn't truly believe that Eli is a vampire. He starts teasing Eli when Eli asks him to invite 'her' in. Vampire lore states that a vampire cannot walk into a private residence unless they are invited. Well, as Oskar keeps teasing Eli and asking, "Why can't you just come in? Is there something in the way?". Eli just looks at him and, after a beat, slowly walks through the doorway. Nothing really happens for a few seconds and we see the back of Eli's head as Oskar looks at her. We then slowly see blood start flowing out of her nose and eyes and mouth and Oskar jumps in horror and hugs her, crying, "Come in! Come in! I invite you!".
I recommend this film to everyone. I really thought it was an amazing piece of work. However, if you're in the mood for flashy and fast paced, this isn't for you. This movie works well in its setting because it's quiet. Sad. There is violence in the film, some which might be gruesome to others (I was fine with it, but then I was weaned on violent films). There is also nudity, which I was a bit uncomfortable with, mainly because of the subject. We are watching a movie about children so, yeah, the nudity was a bit off-putting.
Note: About the book. Like I said, this movie is based on a book which deals with very dark material. When I read the book, I got a little uncomfortable with the subject of pedophilia which is pretty dominant throughout it. For example, Eli's guardian, Hakan, is a character who is a pedophile and you get the hint that they have a partnership based on sex. Hakan is deeply in love with Eli and Eli needs him to live. It makes you wonder about how Eli and Oskar's relationship will pan out, and if Oskar will one day turn into Hakan.
The English title, Let The Right One In, is based on the Morrissey song and is also based on the vampire lore that says vampires cannot enter a house unless they are invited.
Things I'm Mad About: GAH I COULD RANT ALL DAY ABOUT THIS. So, we (stupid America) are doing a remake on this. THE MOVIE JUST CAME OUT IN 2008! Before the year even ended, a director, Matt Reeves, already decided to do an American remake. WHAT THE FUCK. This movie was perfect as it was. It was made even more perfect because of it's setting. Set in beautiful snowy Sweden, it gives that element of quiet and calm I was talking about. WELL they are going to be setting it in New Mexico. WHAT? Also, they are making Eli into a girl. Which, yes, Eli is a girl but if you watch the movie closely and read the book. . .she's not really a girl. That takes away a lot of the meaning behind the movie. It makes me so ridiculously upset that the American public can't learn to read fucking subtitles. What the fuck America?? Stop being so fucking lazy. They are probably going to make this into a total fucking mainstream movie. Stop banking on the popularity that is vampires right now. Okay? You gave us the stupid shit that was Twilight (oh fuck, don't even let me get into the travesty of that pig shit) and now you're going to fuck up one of my favorite movies. OH FUCK NO.
Kåre Hedebrant as Oskar
Lina Leandersson as Eli
Trailer: Unfortunately Youtube will not allow me to embed the trailer so you have to visit the site for it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZJUgsZ56vQ
My Thoughts: How much do I love this movie? Oh, let me count the ways. . .
THIS. Oh wow. THIS is a vampire movie done right. I was absolutely awed during the whole movie.
First of all, before I say it's a vampire movie, I want to say that it's a love story. It's a love story between two young children. One of these kids just happens to be a vampire.
And before you think to yourself, Oh it's a kids movie??. . .no. No, this is not a kids movie. Not in the least. This movie deals with a lot of heavy issues, one of them being pedophilia. The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Swedish writer, John Ajvide Lindqvist. The novel deals with a lot more darker issues which the movie does touch upon but not fully. But let me not get ahead of myself.
Part of what makes the movie so great is the atmosphere. It's set in a tiny little town in Sweden and most of the exterior shots are of this pure, clean, white background. The shots give you this feeling of stillness and loneliness. Which is beset by the violence and bullying that Oskar deals with.
The protagonist is Oskar, a 12 year old boy who has no friends. He is introverted and obsessed with true crime stories. He gets bullied every day at school and when he goes home he dreams of violently murdering his classmates. However he doesn't have the courage to stand up to them.
One day, in his tiny neighborhood, he meets another child, Eli. Eli looks like a girl (and yes, I'm being vague on purpose) and looks 12 years old but is a bit strange. Eli doesn't talk like a normal kid and certainly doesn't act like a normal kid. Eli also has a strange guardian, Hakan, who acts more like Eli's lackey than a father.
Oskar: Are you really twelve?
Eli: Yes. It's just I've been twelve for a very long time.
When Oskar meets Eli, he's happy. He has a friend, a friend who encourages him to try to stand up for himself. It's a little bittersweet, how their loneliness brings them together and how Eli's sense of protectiveness grows around him.
Without going into too much detail, I want to mention one of my favorite scenes. It's a scene after Oskar finds out that Eli is a vampire and Eli comes to his house to visit him. At this point, he doesn't truly believe that Eli is a vampire. He starts teasing Eli when Eli asks him to invite 'her' in. Vampire lore states that a vampire cannot walk into a private residence unless they are invited. Well, as Oskar keeps teasing Eli and asking, "Why can't you just come in? Is there something in the way?". Eli just looks at him and, after a beat, slowly walks through the doorway. Nothing really happens for a few seconds and we see the back of Eli's head as Oskar looks at her. We then slowly see blood start flowing out of her nose and eyes and mouth and Oskar jumps in horror and hugs her, crying, "Come in! Come in! I invite you!".
I recommend this film to everyone. I really thought it was an amazing piece of work. However, if you're in the mood for flashy and fast paced, this isn't for you. This movie works well in its setting because it's quiet. Sad. There is violence in the film, some which might be gruesome to others (I was fine with it, but then I was weaned on violent films). There is also nudity, which I was a bit uncomfortable with, mainly because of the subject. We are watching a movie about children so, yeah, the nudity was a bit off-putting.
Grade: A+++. What are you waiting for? GO WATCH!!
Note: About the book. Like I said, this movie is based on a book which deals with very dark material. When I read the book, I got a little uncomfortable with the subject of pedophilia which is pretty dominant throughout it. For example, Eli's guardian, Hakan, is a character who is a pedophile and you get the hint that they have a partnership based on sex. Hakan is deeply in love with Eli and Eli needs him to live. It makes you wonder about how Eli and Oskar's relationship will pan out, and if Oskar will one day turn into Hakan.
The English title, Let The Right One In, is based on the Morrissey song and is also based on the vampire lore that says vampires cannot enter a house unless they are invited.
Things I'm Mad About: GAH I COULD RANT ALL DAY ABOUT THIS. So, we (stupid America) are doing a remake on this. THE MOVIE JUST CAME OUT IN 2008! Before the year even ended, a director, Matt Reeves, already decided to do an American remake. WHAT THE FUCK. This movie was perfect as it was. It was made even more perfect because of it's setting. Set in beautiful snowy Sweden, it gives that element of quiet and calm I was talking about. WELL they are going to be setting it in New Mexico. WHAT? Also, they are making Eli into a girl. Which, yes, Eli is a girl but if you watch the movie closely and read the book. . .she's not really a girl. That takes away a lot of the meaning behind the movie. It makes me so ridiculously upset that the American public can't learn to read fucking subtitles. What the fuck America?? Stop being so fucking lazy. They are probably going to make this into a total fucking mainstream movie. Stop banking on the popularity that is vampires right now. Okay? You gave us the stupid shit that was Twilight (oh fuck, don't even let me get into the travesty of that pig shit) and now you're going to fuck up one of my favorite movies. OH FUCK NO.
Labels: movie review, my ultimate