Låt den rätte komma in (2008)

Director:

Tomas Alfredson

Writers:

John Ajvide Lindqvist (novel)
John Ajvide Lindqvist (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 October 2008 (Norway)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Eli is 12 years old. She's been 12 for over 200 years and, she just moved in next door.

Plot:

Oscar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl who turns out to be a vampire.

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Suburb | Blood | Vampire | Disfigured Face

Awards:

56 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Let the Right One In (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
Ase to kako na bei (Greece) [el]
Criatura de la noche (Argentina) [es]
Déjame entrar (Spain) [es]
Deixa-me Entrar (Portugal) [pt]
Deixe Ela Entrar (Brazil) (festival title) [pt]
Dejame entrar (Mexico) [es]
Engedj be! (Hungary) (festival title) [hu]
Gir kanima (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
La den rette komme inn (Norway) [no]
Lad den rette komme ind (Denmark) [da]
Lasciami entrare (Italy) [it]
Luba sisse see õige (Estonia) [et]
Morse (France) [fr]
Pozwól mi wejsc (Poland) [pl]
So finster die Nacht (Germany) [de]
Ystävät hämärän jälkeen (Finland) [fi]

MPAA:

Rated R for some bloody violence including disturbing images, brief nudity and language.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Sweden:15 | USA:R | Finland:K-15 | South Korea:15 | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Denmark:15 | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:MA | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | Italy:VM14 | Ireland:16 | France:-12 | Mexico:B15 | Portugal:M/18 | Iceland:16 | Poland:15 | Spain:13 | Netherlands:16 | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Blackeberg, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company:

EFTI

Trivia:

Though the film takes place in Blackeberg, a suburb of Stockholm, the film principal photography was shot in Luleå in the north of Sweden, to ensure enough snow and cold weather.

Goofs:

Continuity: Throughout the movie there is snow everywhere, but it vanishes later in the movie to re-appear again. In the scene following Oskar and Eli in the basement, Eli runs across a bridge and eventually climbs up a tree. As she crosses the bridge, snow can be seen in the background, but as she climbs up in the tree there is no snow anywhere nor any traces of it. In the scene that takes place the next morning, the snow is back and heavily covering everything.

Quotes:

Oskar: Are you a vampire?
Eli: I live off blood...
[pause]
Eli: Yes.
Oskar: Are you...
[pause]
Oskar: Dead?
Eli: No. Can't you tell?

Movie Connections:

References Fright Night (1985)

Soundtrack:

Kvar i min bil

Brilliantly original work of art, both horrifying and tender

"Let the Right One In" is, at its heart, a sweet coming-of-age story which is so unique and different that it simply defies categorization. In this Swedish film, adapted from John Ajvide Lindqvist's bestselling book, director Tomas Alfredson dares to mix pleasure and pain in a way that is both horrifying and tender.

"Let the Right One In" has a storyline which, although it reveals some secrets early on, is best left as a surprise. So this will necessarily be one of those rare reviews in which the less said about the plot the better. 12-year-olds Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) and Eli (Lina Leandersson) meet one snowy afternoon at a jungle gym in the courtyard of Oskar's housing complex outside Stockholm. Their young, tender attraction for each other is apparent right from the start and we think we know where their relationship is headed. But there is a deep dark secret to be discovered here and when it's revealed the audience is both repulsed and curiously fascinated at the same time, in a similar fashion as when yellow crime scene tape brings us closer rather than warning us away.

The supporting cast is completely beholden to the narrative as it revolves around the adorable young couple, whose performances rival the best I've ever seen for actors of that age. The innocence and vulnerability of Hedebrant's Oskar is simply a tour-de-force and he admirably carries the film on his little shoulders. Leandersson matches him scene by scene, line by line, and the result literally gave me chills.

Production values are stellar, with all technical aspects -- lighting, original music by Johan Soderqvist, and Hoyte Van Hoytema's cinematography -- combining in perfect synchronization to produce a Hitchockian tale that somehow brings love and light into what could have been the darkest drama imaginable.

"Let the Right One In" was the overwhelming choice for Best Narrative Feature after its North American Premiere here at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. It is a truly well-deserved honor. Tomas Alfredson has crafted a brilliant work of art that left me shaking my head with wonder.