{Låt den rätte komma in}
 A new friendship develops when Eli - a pale, serious young girl who only comes out at night - moves in next door to lonely, 12-year-old Oskar. Coinciding with her arrival is a series of inexplicable disappearances and murders. Eli must continue to relocate in order to stay alive, but when Oskar faces his darkest hour, she returns to defend him the only way she can... A fragile, anxious boy, 12-year-old Oskar is regularly bullied by his stronger classmates but never strikes back. The lonely boy's wish for a friend seems to come true when he meets Eli, also 12, who moves in next door to him with her father. A pale, serious young girl, she only comes out at night and doesn't seem affected by the freezing temperatures.Coinciding with Eli's arrival is a series of inexplicable disappearances and murders. One man is found tied to a tree, another frozen in the lake, a woman bitten in the neck. Blood seems to be the common denominator--and for an introverted boy like Oskar, who is fascinated by gruesome stories, it doesn't take long before he figures out that Eli is a vampire. But by now a subtle romance has blossomed between Oskar and Eli, and she gives him the strength to fight back against his aggressors. Oskar becomes increasingly aware of the tragic, inhuman dimension of Eli's plight, but cannot bring himself to forsake her. Frozen forever in a twelve-year-old's body, with all the burgeoning feelings and confused emotions of a young adolescent, Eli knows that she can only continue to live if she keeps on moving. But when Oskar faces his darkest hour, Eli returns to defend him the only way she can. Storyline: Oskar, a bullied 12-year old, dreams of revenge. He falls in love with Eli, a peculiar girl. She can't stand the sun or food and to come into a room she needs to be invited. Eli gives Oskar the strength to hit back but when he realizes that Eli needs to drink other people's blood to live he's faced with a choice. How much can love forgive? Set in the Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg in 1982. Written by John Nordling, Producer Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov on March 12, 2009 -- A heavily atmospheric film about a young boy who befriends a vampire, Tomas Alfredson's "Let The Right One In" (2008) delights with a terrific script and brilliant performances. The story is graphic but never overly disturbing. Courtesy of US-based distributors Magnolia Pictures. Twelve-year-old Oscar is lonely. He doesn't have any friends, his divorced parents ignore him and other boys constantly pick on him. One night, Oscar encounters Eli, a skinny girl who smells strange and likes walking in the snow without shoes. Eli is also lonely and without any friends. Oscar immediately falls for her and asks if she would like to be his girlfriend. Eli agrees, but not before she reveals to the boy that she is a vampire. Would Oscar mind? No, not really. At school, a few bullies decide to teach Oscar a lesson. They beat the boy up and later on attempt to drown him in a swimming pool. Visibly upset, Eli tells her new friend that he has to fight back. She also makes sure that they won't bother Oscar again. Ever. I love seeing films that manipulate my mind as well as my senses. I also like seeing films that do not reveal all of their secrets. This is why I am often disappointed by Hollywood producers – the element of surprise in their works stopped surprising me a long time ago. Let The Right One In (2008), a low-budget Swedish film based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist and directed by Tomas Alfredson, however, did. As you could see from the synopsis above, this is a film where there is plenty of blood and vampire talk, yet it isn't a typical "vampire film". Let The Right One In tells a story about two lonely kids who like each other. There are a number of reasons why I liked this film aside from the fact that it caught me off-guard. First, it reminded me a lot about Spanish director Victor Erice's classic The Spirit of the Beehive (1973), which tells the story of a seven-year-old girl who is severely traumatized after she sees James Whale's Frankenstein (1931). The girl starts having all sorts of hallucinations where ghosts would talk and play tricks on her. Yet, The Spirit of the Beehive isn't a film about ghosts, it is a brilliant condemnation of General Franco's regime. Second, the two young actors playing Oscar and Eli - Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson – are fantastic. They introduced me to the strange world their characters share in such a convincing fashion that by the time the film ended, I felt like there was nothing unusual about it. And, believe me, this is quite an achievement, given some of the more graphic scenes in Let The Right One In. Third, this is a deliciously subversive film with a number of different overtones in it. For example, there is a strong gothic flavor which has been achieved by effectively draining the color-scheme of its colors (even fresh blood looks almost black). Furthermore, as Tomas Alfredson notes in the "Making Of" supplied on the Blu-ray disc, the story also reveals an intriguing period look – the dreary apartment complex, the empty and poorly lit streets as well as the sense of being unwanted, excluded from the other world that follows Oscar and Eli's relationship is very much reminiscent of Sweden and its role in global political events from the early 80s. Finally, there is that old man (Per Ragnar) who lives with Eli. We assume that he is her father, but just the thought that he may not be makes Let The Right One In that much more eerie. What a terrific film! Its story is both disturbing and uncharacteristically beautiful. As far as I am concerned, Let The Right One In will probably become something of a cult classic as time goes by. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Magnolia Pictures, is excellent. I was particularly impressed with the Swedish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which proves that quality should not be confused with volume. Very Highly Recommended! Cast Notes: Kåre Hedebrant (Oskar), Lina Leandersson (Eli), Per Ragnar (Håkan), Henrik Dahl (Erik), Karin Bergquist (Yvonne), Peter Carlberg (Lacke), Ika Nord (Virginia), Mikael Rahm (Jocke), Karl-Robert Lindgren (Gösta [as Karl Robert Lindgren]), Anders T. Peedu (Morgan [as Anders Peedu]), Pale Olofsson (Larry [as Paul Olofsson]), Cayetano Ruiz (Magister Avila), Patrik Rydmark (Conny), Johan Sömnes (Andreas), Mikael Erhardsson (Martin). IMDb Rating (03/05/09): 8.2/10 from 15,356 users Top 250: #189
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