Let the Right One In Review

"I'm twelve. But I've been twelve for a long time."

The whole world is afraid of getting old. I won't lie, I am too. Even at only thirty-one, I find myself envious of those younger than myself. 

I don't envy twelve though. Fuck twelve.

Twelve year old me discovered what it meant to wake up in a hospital bed, confused and scared, hours after suffering a massive seizure. My condition only reared its ugly head at night. Twelve years old and scared to fall asleep. 

Twelve year old me gained weight. Just another reason to get picked on at school. I tried my best to hide my tears, releasing them during private, quiet moments. I was too young and thus too ignorant to have any perspective, to recognize that my problems, as serious as they might have been, paled in comparison to what so many others dealt with on a daily basis. Twelve year old me didn't worry about anyone else. Twelve year old me was constantly looking in the mirror, and he didn't like what stared back at him.

Oskar is twelve. He is bullied but never fights back. Neither did I. Eli is twelve as well, although she has been for over 200 years. Unbeknownst to Oskar, Eli is a vampire. Forever twelve. Fuck twelve.

Eli is odd, sure, but she is pretty and kind to Oskar. A boy accustomed to isolation suddenly forms a bond with a girl his age. Oskar falls in love. She encourages him to stand up for himself. He does. It feels fucking good, and this is demonstrated with a brilliant upward camera angle of Oskar after his moment of triumph, a weak and timid boy suddenly on top of the world. 

Oskar eventually discovers Eli's dark and literally bloody secret, but he is in love. He is empowered. He is twelve. 

Let the Right One In is a Swedish film that is so gorgeously crafted and brilliant that no matter how many words I put down right now, they won't do it justice. Directed exquisitely by Tomas Alfredson, I had this picture pegged incorrectly prior to pressing play as I expected it to merely be a gore fest vampire movie as all I knew about it was the genre label of "horror", and yet what I actually experienced was a totally unique and bizarre coming of age story about the bond of true friendship and love. I am left thrilled with how deeply I connected to this film. I never could have anticipated it, which actually made the experience all the more special. 

What else can I gush about? Oh, how about the photography of Hoyte Van Hoytema, a dark and cold aesthetic that somehow manages to feel warm thanks to the unlikeliest of love stories. The performances from these young actors, Kare Hedebrant as Oskar and Lina Leandersson as Eli, are absolutely on point and they share a chemistry that shines so brightly. When they are together in front of a snow covered backdrop, it's about as beautiful a frame as you can find anywhere. 

Just when I thought Let the Right One In couldn't get any better or more wonderfully realized, one of the final scenes that takes place at a swimming pool happened and I couldn't stop smiling. I wanted to bathe in that moment forever. I will be replaying it over and over and over again in my mind. 

I don't envy twelve. I don't miss twelve. Fuck twelve.

I bet life would have been a lot easier, though, if I would have had an Eli by my side back then.

5/5