Let the Right One In (film)
Let the Right One In (Swedish: Låt den rätte komma in) is a 2008 Swedish romantic horror film directed by Tomas Alfredson, based on the 2004 novel of the same title by John Ajvide Lindqvist, who also wrote the screenplay. The film tells the story of a bullied 12-year-old boy who develops a friendship with a strange child in Blackeberg, a suburb of Stockholm, in the early 1980s.
For the English-language remake, see Let Me In (film).Let the Right One In
Låt den rätte komma in
Låt den rätte komma in
by John Ajvide Lindqvist
- Carl Molinder
- John Nordling
- Tomas Alfredson
- Daniel Jonsäter
- EFTI
- Sveriges Television
- Filmpool Nord
- Sandrew Metronome
- WAG
- Fido Film
- The Chimney Pot
- Ljudligan
- Svenska Filminstitutet
- Nordisk Film & TV Fond
- Canal+
Sandrew Metronome
- 26 January 2008 (Gothenburg)
- 24 October 2008 (Sweden)
114 minutes[1]
Sweden
Swedish
$11.2 million[2]
A film adaptation of Lindqvist's novel began development in 2004 when John Nordling acquired the rights to produce the project. Alfredson, unconcerned with the horror and vampire conventions, decided to tone down many elements of the novel and focus primarily on the relationship between the two main characters and explore the darker side of humanity. Selecting the lead actors involved a year-long process with open castings held all over Sweden. In the end, Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson were chosen for the leading roles. Leandersson's role in the film was dubbed by Elif Caylan. Principal photography took place in 2007 in Luleå, with additional filming in Blackeberg. The film was produced by EFTI, Sveriges Television and Filmpool Nord, with support from the Swedish Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, WAG and Canal+.
Let the Right One In premiered at the Gothenburg Film Festival on 26 January 2008, where it received the Nordic Film Prize. It was released in Sweden on 24 October 2008 by Sandrew Metronome. The film received critical acclaim, with praise for the performances of the two leads, the cinematography, screenplay, and direction. It won several awards, including the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival, as well as four Guldbagge Awards, including Best Director for Alfredson, Best Cinematography for Van Hoytema, and Best Screenplay for Lindqvist. It also won the Saturn Award for Best International Film and the Empire Award for Best Horror Film. At the 63rd British Academy Film Awards, the film was nominated for Best Film Not in the English Language. An American remake, titled Let Me In, was released in 2010.
Plot[edit]
Oskar resides with his mother Yvonne in the suburb of Blackeberg in 1982. His classmates bully him, and he spends his evenings imagining revenge. He meets Eli, who appears to be a girl of his age. Eli has moved into the apartment with a man, Håkan. Eli informs Oskar that they cannot be friends. The two begin to form a relationship, and exchange messages through their wall. Eli learns that Oskar is being bullied by schoolmates and encourages him to stand up for himself. Oskar enrolls in classes after school.
Håkan stops and kills a passerby on a footpath to harvest blood for Eli, but is interrupted by a walker. Eli is prompted to waylay and kill a man. A recluse witnesses the attack from his flat but decides not to report the incident. Håkan hides Jocke's body in a hole in the lake. Håkan makes another effort to obtain blood for Eli by trapping a boy in a room after school. Håkan pours acid onto his own face. Eli visits Håkan in the hospital. Håkan offers her his neck for feeding. Eli drains him of his blood, and Håkan falls out the window. Eli goes to Oskar's apartment and spends the night with him, during which they agree to "go steady", though Eli states, "I'm not a girl".
Some of Oskar's students discover Jocke's body. The bullies again harass Oskar, who hits their leader Conny in the head with a pole. Oskar suggests that he and Eli form a bond and cuts his hand. Eli laps up his blood before running away. Lacke's girlfriend is attacked by Eli. Virginia survives but discovers that she has become sensitive to sunlight. Virginia visits Gösta. Oskar confronts Eli, who admits to being a vampire. Oskar is upset by Eli's need to kill people for survival. Eli insists that they are alike, in that Oskar wants to kill and Eli needs to kill, and encourages Oskar to "be me, for a little while."
Virginia asks an orderly to open the blinds in her room. Virginia bursts into flames. Lacke tracks Eli down to the apartment. He discovers Eli asleep in the bathtub. He prepares to kill Eli, but Oskar interferes. Eli wakes up and feeds on his blood. Eli thanks Oskar and kisses him. An neighbor is knocking on the ceiling due to the disturbance. Eli realises that it is not safe to stay and leaves that night.
Oskar is lured out to resume the program at the pool. The bullies start a fire to draw Mr Ávila outside. They enter the area and order the children to clear out. Jimmy forces Oskar under the water. Eli arrives and rescues him by killing and dismembering the bullies, except for the reluctant of their number who is left sobbing on a bench.
Oskar is travelling on a train with Eli in a box beside him. Eli taps the word "kiss" to Oskar in code, to which he taps back "kiss".[a]
Release[edit]
Let the Right One In premiered at the Gothenburg Film Festival in Sweden on 26 January 2008[37] where Alfredson won the Festival's Nordic Film Prize.[38] It subsequently played at several other film festivals, including the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City (24 April 2008), where it won the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature;[39] the Edinburgh Film Festival (25 June 2008), where it won the Rotten Tomatoes Critical Consensus Award;[40][41] and the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival in Switzerland (3 July 2008), where it won the Méliès d'Argent (Silver Méliès).[42]
The Swedish premiere was originally planned for 18 April 2008, but following the positive response from the festival screenings, the producers decided to postpone the release until autumn, to allow for a longer theatrical run.[43] At one time there was a plan to release the film for a special series of screenings in Luleå, beginning 24 September and lasting seven days. This was canceled when the Swedish Film Institute announced that Everlasting Moments had been selected over Let the Right One In as Sweden's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[44] The distributors released it on 24 October 2008 in Sweden, Norway, and as a limited release in the United States.[45] In Australia, the film was released on 19 March 2009.[46] The film was released in cinemas in the United Kingdom on 10 April 2009.[47]
The film was released in North America on DVD and Blu-ray in March 2009 by Magnet Films, and in the United Kingdom in August by Momentum Pictures. The American discs feature both the original Swedish dialogue and an English dubbed version, while the European versions feature only the Swedish, and an audio-descriptive track in English. Icons of Fright reported that the American release had been criticised for using new, oversimplified English subtitles instead of the original theatrical subtitles.[48] Following customer complaints, Magnet stated that they would release an updated version with the original theatrical subtitles, but will not exchange current discs.[49] Director Alfredson also expressed his dissatisfaction with the DVD subtitles, calling it a "turkey translation". "If you look on the 'net, people are furious about how bad it is done", he added.[50] The UK release retains the theatrical subtitles.
Reception[edit]
Critical reception[edit]
Let the Right One In has a 98% rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 193 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The critical consensus reads, "Let the Right One In reinvigorates the seemingly tired vampire genre by effectively mixing scares with intelligent storytelling".[51] Additionally, Metacritic has reported an average score of 82 out of 100 based on 30 reviews.[52]