On DVD and Blu-ray
I’m not a vampire or horror movie fan but make exceptions when a film comes along as brilliantly conceived and shot as this. A great film is a great film, no matter the genre. In 1982 Sweden, 12 year old Oskar is constantly being bullied at school. A girl roughly his age moves into his apartment building and since they have a lot in common (loneliness, distant father figures), they strike up a quick friendship. It’s clear to the viewer (but not Oskar) she’s a vampire immediately – she appears suddenly, covers large distances quickly, and is only seen at night. She lives with an older male vampire, who’s getting careless with his victims - leaving all kinds of evidence and sometimes witnesses at the crime scenes . . .
The snowy exteriors and overbearing coldness is felt intensely and the characters carry the same kind of depressed faces seen in The Lives of Others. (In the supplemental DVD material, director Tomas Alfredson says that Sweden was about half behind the iron curtain at that time.) Alfredson uses streetlights terrifically in the nighttime scenes, creating shadows that contribute to the ominous mood. His use windows and reflections contributes to the character connections. The sound design is inventive, sometimes startling, but never distracting. The music is surprisingly touching as 2 lost souls try to find happiness in a lonely world. Unlike most Hollywood movies that overwhelm you with orchestral arrangements, a single piano is used, then a single guitar (shades of The Deer Hunter) - giving the film an uncommon depth. The performances of the children are perfectly understated, also staying out of the way of a terrific story and flawless direction.
There’s some blood, of course, and some gore, but the creativity and tension found in the action scenes make it hardly noticeable. The climax is one of the most memorable scenes of the decade, unique and profound. If I were giving out a 2008 Best Director prize, it would go to Alfredson. I’m still grappling with what the film is trying to say (if anything - and it doesn't have to). The Dark Knight goes after America’s response to terrorism perfectly, but the fact that an occasionally gory, Swedish-language (subtitled) vampire movie with 2 child leads is vying for my best film of 2008 slot should speak volumes about this film’s quality. (And there’s a Two-Face in this film too – sort of) A-
Updated Best Films of 2008
1. The Dark Knight
2. Let the Right One In
3. Synecdoche, New York
4. Wall-E
5. Man on Wire
6. In Bruges
7. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
8. Tropic Thunder
9. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about His Father
10. Burn After Reading
Still need to see Frozen River, Tell No One and The Wrestler which may alter the list. I also haven’t seen Changeling, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, Happy-Go-Lucky, Priceless, or The Reader, but don’t expect any of them to make a dent.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Let the Right One In - A-
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10 comments:
Looks good and weird - I'll watch it this week along with Elegy. Your top 10 is 'eclectic' - I think the major differences between our lists (which is unusual over the past 18 years) is attributable to the weak year. I re-watched In Bruges last week - it is great and probably should be in my top 10. Synecdoche's placement warrants a review from you or at least a few thoughts.
I sat through the entire credits (which is unusual), not believing what I just saw. So I immediately watched it again (which is unheard of) and had a fuller experience, picking up more of the window/mirror stuff and characterizations.
I have a shot of Charlie Kaufman ready to go when the review is written. It was meant to go along with Demme and Van Sant, but I just couldn't put the words together. I don't seem to have writer's block otherwise. I may have to watch it again.
watched this last night. *SPOILERS AHEAD DON'T KEEP READING IF YOU'RE GOING TO SEE IT
i think i'm going full A on this one. i can't think of anything that could have been improved. this one builds and builds, with a number of things early on that appear to be throwaways that turn out to be intricately important. the work with mirrors is perfect, in particular the interesting shot of the boy and him mom brushing their teeth, with the doorway functioning as a mirror of sorts. also excellent is the way the light lays across virginia and her husband in bed, perfectly illuminating their exposed necks.
on a difference between your viewing and mine, i don't think the older dude was a vampire, just someone that allowed her to be one a helper. in short, he was what the boy would be 50 years. so there is real jealousy and pain when he says, "please don't talk to the boy tonight".
also, it seemed like there were some interesting gay overtones (boy's father and his friend, the second victim and virginia's husband). did you pick up on this? finally, a warning concerning the decidedly underage nudity might have been nice....
I'm glad you liked (loved?) it. Great pick-up on the toothbrushing scene which seemed totally extraneous to me.
Very interesting point about the older guy (Hakan) not being a vampire - SPOILER - I guess he never bites anyone and I don't remember him drinking blood either.
I didn't appreciate the gay subtext, but I won't accuse you of projecting.
Last, sorry about the lack of an underage nudity alert. I thought it was gratuitous at first, but I think it shows that their relationship is not about sex.
i think i did love it, although not until just as it was over. it was one of those movies that, the second it was over, i realized how wrapped up i was in it. i'm not going to update my top ten yet, but it will be in there.
thanks for the lack of accusations. you coming to wyoming?
Very likely going to Wyoming.
Now that Doc's ticket is booked, we'll see if those overtones take root up Brokeback way. Anyway, I finished this tonight and am with Doc on the A-. My favorite scene is when Elli kisses Oscar after she has killed the guy in the apartment and is still covered in blood - its the ultimate acceptance of her for who she is by Oskar, and one that all of us crave by our mate. The direction was phenomenal, with lots of incredible but not distracting compositions. I thought the toothbrushing was more about Oskar's shallow relationship with his mother, just showing they only relate in a superficial way. Lots of emphasis on feet and shoes in the film. The feelings I had toward the bullies in the climax were as intense as any in recent memory and the good feeling in the final scene was strong as well. Doc - thanks for not letting this one get by.
SPOILER i will say i don't see how you have a good feeling at the end of this one. i view this as a cautionary tale which looks for a long time like eli is lonely and needs oskar, but ultimately it appears that she's looking for a replacement to bring her blood. she sucks these guys dry every bit as much as she sucks the blood of her other victims, then she literally sucks their blood in the end. part of the perfection of this film is that, in the final moments, i realized that you see the beginning and ending of oskar and eli's relationship simultaneously in the opening scenes.
Spoiler. I guess it was bittersweet, but his tapping on the box was great and I guess a little happiness, acceptance and love, even for a moment, is worth it (So, this film did a better job than BenButton on that). I just focused on the good part of the scene and their brief but meaningful finding of eachother - she is conniving and ran her game on a vulnerable boy, but he benefitted too. The rings in the egg were I guess her previous helpmates???
So it's like every relationship, vampire or not. Moments of great joy at first until the female eventually wears the male down and he loses the will to live.
But seriously folks, Oskar's future with her is better than his life before he met her. He may accept her standing offer to become a vampire. He may not. We'll never know. I think he just might since he has a vengeful mean streak in him. Just watch out for the window blinds - and the cats.
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