Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

Discussions of specific films and franchises.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
franco
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: Vancouver

Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#1 Post by franco » Thu Oct 23, 2008 2:05 pm

This is without question my favorite film of the year. Enough has already been said and written about the its uniqueness, tenderness, graphical restraint, narrative fluidity, remarkable sound design, and exceptionally beautiful mise-en-scene. The story where a lonely boy meets his guardian angel, told through the type of filmmaking I adore, has moved me in ways I had never been moved before. I saw the film 3 times at our local film festival and plan to see it many more times in the future.

Frankly, the less one knows about the film, the more rewarding the experience will be. I don't even recommend watching the trailer or reading reviews (most of them spoilers galore). I can only recommend taking advantage of the film's limited theatrical release as much as possible:
Magnolia wrote:Opening On Screen

Pasadena, CA: Playhouse 7 Cinemas
West Hollywood, CA: Sunset 5
Irvine, CA: University Town Center 6 Cinemas
New York, NY: Angelika Film Center (6)

10/31/2008
Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa, Bijou Theater

11/7/2008
San Diego, CA: Hillcrest Cinemas
Washington, DC: E Street Cinema
Huntington, NY: Cinema Arts Centre

11/14/2008
San Francisco, CA: Embarcadero Center Cinema
Chicago, IL: Landmark's Century Centre Cinema
Cambridge, MA: Kendall Square Cinema
Baltimore, MD: Charles Theatre
Minneapolis, MN: Lagoon Cinema
Philadelphia, PA: Ritz at the Bourse
Seattle, WA: Varsity Theatre

11/21/2008
Denver, CO: Mayan Theatre
Providence, RI: Avon Cinema

11/28/2008
Santa Fe, NM: The Screen
Nashville, TN: Belcourt Theatre

12/12/2008
Hartford, CT: Real Art Ways Cinema
Apparently the DVD is possibly coming on March 10, 2009.
Last edited by franco on Fri Oct 24, 2008 1:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
LQ
Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2008 7:51 am
Contact:

#2 Post by LQ » Thu Oct 23, 2008 2:11 pm

I can't wait to see this. I'll be there front and center the 14th

User avatar
Cosmic Bus
Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2006 10:12 pm
Location: Seattle, WA
Contact:

#3 Post by Cosmic Bus » Thu Oct 23, 2008 11:22 pm

For anyone in the area, the Vermont International Film Festival has a number of showings scheduled for this weekend. It's a 100+ mile roundtrip for me, but I'm absolutely going to be there tomorrow night. Finding out about this was a huge, wonderful surprise since virtually everything I anticipate seeing each year has to wait for DVD...

User avatar
franco
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: Vancouver

#4 Post by franco » Tue Oct 28, 2008 2:27 am

Only 4 theaters so far in the US? How ridiculous. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this managed to get a Canadian distributor and is opening this weekend.

brandofo
Joined: Tue May 27, 2008 12:46 am

#5 Post by brandofo » Wed Oct 29, 2008 5:54 pm

i woulda thought more people would be interested in this movie

ineedyoubad
Joined: Thu Sep 18, 2008 11:06 am
Location: CHICAGO

#6 Post by ineedyoubad » Wed Oct 29, 2008 6:34 pm

brandofo wrote:i woulda thought more people would be interested in this movie
Sure, i would love to see this movie right now, but my stupid local theater probably not gonna carry this one. :evil:
I probably have to wait on dvd. :cry:

User avatar
Keith Kawaii
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:29 pm

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#7 Post by Keith Kawaii » Fri Oct 31, 2008 3:54 am

The trailer looks amazing... Does anyone know if this will even go to smaller theaters in more states? Its just funny that movie review sites cover these type of movies, but no one is able to even see them unless theyre in NY

User avatar
thirtyframesasecond
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2007 1:48 pm

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#8 Post by thirtyframesasecond » Sat Nov 01, 2008 3:47 pm

It's already been shown in London, at Frightfest. Wonder whether it will get a full cinema release in the UK? Probably unlikely.

User avatar
colinr0380
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#9 Post by colinr0380 » Sat Nov 01, 2008 5:58 pm

A brief review of the film features in this run down of the Frightfest screenings.

Grand Illusion
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2007 7:56 am

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#10 Post by Grand Illusion » Tue Nov 04, 2008 12:19 am

First off, Lina Leandersson is fucking amazing. She gives a very nuanced performance, showing wisdom far, far beyond her age. I don't even know where this girl is mining her emotions from, but it works brilliantly.
SpoilerShow
She literally has the world-weariness of someone several thousand years old.
I agree with franco that restraint is key here. Both narrative and visual. The viewer doesn't quite know the entirety of what's going on until the second act, but the mood of dread is established early and held. What Alfredson chooses to show or not to show (in his frequently wide angles) is key. He never releases the tension until the audience will get the full cathartic effect.

A particularly Hitchcockian moment is when Oskar tries to make a blood brother without knowing the full ramifications of his actions. As soon as he takes out his knife, the viewer knows what is going to happen, but the characters don't. Alfredson consistently uses classical storytelling and suspense like a master of cinema.

On the point of a guardian angel and the visual restraint...
SpoilerShow
My personal favorite moment in the film is when Oskar saves Eli, and the roles are reversed. The young boy is unable to kill, as he thought he might. And when Eli is awakened and leaps onto the intruder, Oskar just lifts his hand and shuts the door. This is a great inversion of the famous shot at the end of The Godfather. Of course, in this case, Oskar is shutting in, instead of shutting out. When Eli emerges, bloody and victorious, Alfredson again shows such restraint, allowing just a hug. Also, keeping in mind the theatrical lessons of the line of sight, he keeps Oskar's eyes off of Eli, constantly suspending full resolution, full catharsis. It's masterful storytelling.
Let The Right One In is a precise example of how to reinvigorate a genre. The editing rhythms and the selective emphasis in the sound design bring a musicality and flow to the piece. The score follows the currents, but never tries to change them.

For discussion, I'd also like to offer a more unsettling reading of the film:
SpoilerShow
Removing the vampire mythology from the film, what you have is essentially a revenge fantasy without making Oskar culpable. In a post-Columbine school environment, Oskar is able to behead and dismember his enemies and escape unscathed.

Of course, in the telling of the story, Oskar doesn't do any of these things, and Eli even spares the one child who backs off of Oskar in the pool. So aside from Oskar being innocent, even the one concerned child was spared. But how does Eli know that the concerned child backed off of Oskar? Was she there the entire time? If so, why did she wait so long for the rescue?

What if she was Oskar? There is certainly a duality to the personae of Oskar/Eli. As evidence, I'd first offer up the scene where Eli tells Oskar she wishes he could be her, at which point Alfredson cuts to a close-up of an old woman, presumably Eli's true age. The cut is jarring, and after that sequence, the moment is seemingly forgotten.

Furthermore, nobody really even knows about Eli, except when she strikes. Of course, Oskar knows about her. And lest we be diverted by gender confusion, Alfredson (or the screenwriter) simply removes the issue from Eli.

I'm not suggesting that the film is Fight Club. I am saying that there is a certainly a reading of the film that Alfredson offers the psychoanalytical "lashing out" and cathartic violence of a school massacre without offering culpability to Oskar. Especially since only the bad guys got hurt, and Eli only kills because she "has to."

User avatar
franco
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: Vancouver

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#11 Post by franco » Tue Nov 04, 2008 3:23 am

Grand Illusion, thank you for sharing your thoughts! Reading such an enthusiastic appreciation really warms my heart. You managed to put into words all the great things about the cinematography that I could hitherto only feel, not describe. In addition to what you pointed out, I also love the numerous transparent surfaces (windows, glass doors) and how people strive to be invited beyond these obstructions. For those who've seen the film, Michael at Evening Class has also uncovered this intriguing, touching detail.

Lina Leandersson, however, is almost turning me into a pedophile, although I have to reconcile myself to the fact that:
SpoilerShow
Eli's voice was dubbed!
As for your rather original reading, it inspires me to think that:
SpoilerShow
As it is already a circular story about the beginning and tragic end of a doomed relationship between a human and a vampire, if you take Eli out of it, doesn't it become a circular story about the making and demise of a serial killer? Alfredson has arranged enough visual and narrative evidence to imply the similarity between Oskar and Eli's former companion. The most memorable example is the decision to follow up the first murder scene almost immediately with the scene where Oskar takes a knife out of his pocket and stabs a tree (whereas the knives of both men visually link each other).

Of course, it seems less interesting to imagine a serial killer's initiation than to envision a revenge fantasy without culpability. Perhaps it's a gift to the contemporary audiences, who are bombarded by stories that feel compelled to maintain a level of acceptable morality.

On a side note, I think Eli spares one of the kids because he is sitting down, with his face buried in his palms. All 3 kids (including Conny) are reluctant to let Jimmy continue his cruelty, and it just happens that those standing close to Oskar look more guilty than one who is sitting down afar that Eli ends up killing the ones standing close and sparing the one sitting afar. I talk like a geek who has seen the movie more than 4 times. Nevertheless, I agree that he is the least evil kid (as his atrocity amounts to his flogging Oskar reluctantly in a relatively uncontroversial body area).

User avatar
Galen Young
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2004 8:46 pm

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#12 Post by Galen Young » Thu Nov 06, 2008 3:46 am

Fans of the film might like to know there is a CD of the excellent score by Johan Söderqvist coming out soon in a limited pressing of 500 -- it's up for pre-order at both Intrada and Screen Archives.

Grand Illusion
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2007 7:56 am

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#13 Post by Grand Illusion » Thu Nov 06, 2008 9:36 pm

franco wrote: I have to reconcile myself to the fact that:
SpoilerShow
Eli's voice was dubbed!
My mind is blown.

It's not a practice I'd normally appreciate in a film. I tend to agree with filmmakers who let the actor own the character more. Regardless, it's a foreign language to me anyway, and for Leandersson, it's all in the eyes. It's a gripping portrayal, one that I'll have to revisit soon.

User avatar
Michael
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:09 pm

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#14 Post by Michael » Fri Nov 07, 2008 7:37 am

Grand Illusion wrote:My mind is blown.
So is mine! I just saw it last night and I'm going to have to let it sink it over the weekend, maybe another viewing on the way.

User avatar
franco
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 7:32 pm
Location: Vancouver

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#15 Post by franco » Sat Nov 08, 2008 2:17 am

Michael I thought about you a couple of times after seeing the film, because I imagined that it is something you might want to see. I am glad it came to a theater near you.

User avatar
Michael
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:09 pm

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#16 Post by Michael » Sat Nov 08, 2008 8:46 am

franco wrote:Michael I thought about you a couple of times after seeing the film, because I imagined that it is something you might want to see. I am glad it came to a theater near you.
I can't believe how it found its way to Orlando of all places! I'm planning to revisit the film this afternoon and come back with thoughts, etc. Definitely the best film of the year so far, toppling Paranoid Park and The Tracey Fragments.

User avatar
Anhedionisiac
the Displeasure Principle
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2008 2:25 pm

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#17 Post by Anhedionisiac » Sun Nov 09, 2008 12:59 am

Whoa, whoa, I thought Let The Right One In was superb but let's not jump the gun and make sweeping statements.
Enthusiasm noted.
You know, Michael, the mention of Paranoid Park is completely apt, concerning divorced parents. The relationship to Alex's father is rather similar to that of Oskar's.
In Paranoid Park there was an uncle and here there's a drinking buddy of dad's in a rather memorable moment, eh?

User avatar
Michael
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:09 pm

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#18 Post by Michael » Sun Nov 09, 2008 12:40 pm

Anhedionisiac wrote:Whoa, whoa, I thought Let The Right One In was superb but let's not jump the gun and make sweeping statements.
Enthusiasm noted.
You know, Michael, the mention of Paranoid Park is completely apt, concerning divorced parents. The relationship to Alex's father is rather similar to that of Oskar's.
In Paranoid Park there was an uncle and here there's a drinking buddy of dad's in a rather memorable moment, eh?
Let The Right One In NEEDS and DESERVES "sweeping statements". With that dull, uninspiring title, that little masterpiece coming out of the icy woods of Sweden would easily fall through the crack uncelebrated, unknown. As fans of the film, we need to spread the words.

Yes, I noticed the simliarity in the treatment of the father in both films, this and Paranoid Park. There is no question in my mind that Oskar's father is gay. His parents are divorced, his mom always angry, bitter, alone while his father seems the only happy parent, fully contented in that cabin he probably shares with another man.

User avatar
Anhedionisiac
the Displeasure Principle
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2008 2:25 pm

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#19 Post by Anhedionisiac » Mon Nov 10, 2008 1:59 am

Point taken. You do well to spread the gospel.
I don't know about disparaging the title, though, since it's one of the main reasons I decided to check the movie out.
It let me know straight up what sort of tone it'd go for, the stark sweetness of finding a partner and the knowledge of being so lonely so as not to have much choice in the matter.
And I wasn't even aware of it being based on a Morrissey song.
And It's definitely a title I like even more after seeing the movie.

moviscop
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 3:51 pm
Location: California

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#20 Post by moviscop » Mon Nov 10, 2008 2:35 pm

You guys inspired me to go see it last night at 10:15. The theater didn't have many people in it so late on a Sunday night, which was really cool for the atmosphere.

I had never been into the vampire genre before so this was a big step for me. What I was so impressed by was the sound. Good god, some of the best sound editing I have ever seen. My favorite bit were probably the
SpoilerShow
swine noises when the vampires got hungry, very suttle but very effective.
I also really loved the actors who were like porcelain dolls. The lighting worked so well with the white skin tones.

MY ONLY COMPLAINT, in the entire movie I might add.
SpoilerShow
The CGI cats? What the fuck was that? It threw off the aura of the film for me and took a minute to revive itself in my mind.
Apart from that, I was moved, haunted, warmed, and thrown into thought about the major themes.

User avatar
Michael
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:09 pm

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#21 Post by Michael » Mon Nov 10, 2008 2:50 pm

Oh I love the cats. Especially the black one with the tail standing up spiked open. What a perfect silhouette that has, it shocked me into thinking whether that was real or not. A bit unsettling with the cats' faces deforming. Pretty cool though.

Grand Illusion
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2007 7:56 am

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#22 Post by Grand Illusion » Mon Nov 10, 2008 3:49 pm

I'm not opposed to the scene with the cats, but they did look pretty fake.

User avatar
Anhedionisiac
the Displeasure Principle
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2008 2:25 pm

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#23 Post by Anhedionisiac » Tue Nov 11, 2008 2:48 am

Grand Illusion wrote:I'm not opposed to the scene with the cats, but they did look pretty fake.
They looked so glaringly fake that it's charming. Perhaps a throwback to jerky stop-motion and other special effects of the like? It is set in the non-descript eighties, after all.

moviscop
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 3:51 pm
Location: California

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#24 Post by moviscop » Tue Nov 11, 2008 4:15 am

Anhedionisiac wrote:
Grand Illusion wrote:I'm not opposed to the scene with the cats, but they did look pretty fake.
They looked so glaringly fake that it's charming. Perhaps a throwback to jerky stop-motion and other special effects of the like? It is set in the non-descript eighties, after all.
I didn't feel like the film was trying to make an homage to anything in particular. It was just messy filmmaking in such a orderly project. Simple as that.

User avatar
Anhedionisiac
the Displeasure Principle
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2008 2:25 pm

Re: Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

#25 Post by Anhedionisiac » Tue Nov 11, 2008 5:37 am

I don't begrudge it, though, since the whole scene is part of a subplot that already didn't gel much with the main plot.
It was sort of beside the point to notice it: Even if the cats were real it'd still be the fakest scene in the whole movie.
Last edited by Anhedionisiac on Tue Nov 11, 2008 3:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Post Reply