Movie: Let The Right One In

            

Let The Right One In (2008)

           After watching both “Let Me In” and “Let The Right One In”, I have come to see many similarities alongside a couple of differences. Both films have the eerie quality to them when dealing with the ultimate human-to-vampire relationship. In the original Swedish film, the characters are presented in a way that flows, in my opinion, a little better. With that, there were three main differences: the “father”, the main characters and the actual vampire-attacks.

            In the Swedish film, “the father” character was known to be some sort of protector but the relationship between him and Eli wasn’t the purest relationships. With this, the movie just keeps it at that; leaving the viewer to question the situation. In the American version, the character that played “the father” was known to have grown up with Abby (the main character’s name in the American version), which sets up an interesting conflict which leads towards the relationship with Owen. Was Abby in love with her pervious protector? Is Owen his replacement?

            Let The Right One In constantly beats around the bush when t comes to Eli and her gender/being. Oskar is constantly being reminded that she is not a “girl”. With my two-cents, I thought it was simple: she’s a vampire but unfortunately, it’s not that black and white. In the scene where Eli is changing into Oskar’s mother’s dress, the director flashes what seems to be Eli’s private area. Although I didn’t pause my movie to examine it and stare, I have read controversies that it’s clear that Eli is/was a boy because of how that area is sewn up.  In the American film, the director doesn’t even dare bring up this sort-of “taboo” and keeps the focus more on the relationship with Abby and Owen as vampire and human.

            Last but not least, the vampire attacks. Both films give the audience the blood and guts we crave without goring us to death. In Let The Right One In, the director leans more towards the traditional special effects edge whereas the American version rests upon the results from the CGI-lab. Both look fine, but to me, the more hands-on aesthetic is much more interesting than what the computer lab has to offer in a film like this.