Left Field Cinema

The agony of youth, the fleeting torment of childhood, the isolation and loneliness of the pre-adolescent, the time when personalities are formed and life’s grand design begins to take form. Tomas Alfredson’s screen adaptation of John Avjvide Lindqvist’s novel tackles these themes (amongst others) with relish and abandonment of genre concerns. Seldom has a world cinema hit been as hyped-up as Let the Right One In, perhaps it’s blending of paedophobic and paedophilic horror and coming of age staples gives it a cross-over edge which appeals to the widest possible margin within the niche cinema circuit. Whatever the reason for such widely positive responses there is no doubting the fine quality of Alfredson’s and Lindqvist’s production, a film which is highly likely to end as one of the very best fiction films of 2009. Foreign language films with broad appeal that also manage to (almost) entirely live-up to their own ballooning hype are rare but Let the Right One In is one such film and here are some reasons why...

Previously Swedish cinema held no precedent for vampire films; there have been some in neighbouring Norway and Finland but as Alfredson recently snapped at an ignorant journalist – Norway, Sweden and Finland are three very different countries which don’t even speak the same language or share the same currency. Swedish cinema is more widely seen than Norway or Finland in any eventuality and mainly due to the legendary Ingmar Bergman who enjoyed international fame for a time post his late 1950’s work. Of course there are many others including the likes of Roy Andersson, Lasse Hallstrom and of course great silent film maker Victor Sjostrom. With a history of film making which explored the edges of human frailty and pushed the boundaries of style and technique within cinema at large, it comes as no surprise that Sweden is where Let the Right One In hails from. As the country’s first (major) vampire film, Let the Right One In can not easily be compared to any vampire films that have come before it and whilst not self-consciously breaking any particular part of vampire folk lore it does set-up its own mythos within a vampiric landscape which is both realistic and logical.

he story examines the events of the follow the arrival of Eli (played by Lina Leandersson) in a suburb of Stockholm in the year 1982 as our protagonist Oskar (played by Kare Hedebrant) falls in love with his new neighbour and romance blossoms through a trail of blood thirsty destruction and death. Eli is a vampire of medieval age, although her appearance is that of a twelve-year old girl she is neither twelve nor a girl as she explains to Oskar who doesn’t quite understand his new friends bizarre behaviour. While Oskar can recite his age down to the nearest day, Eli seems unsure of her exact age and states she’s “around” twelve. Posing as Eli’s father is Håkan (played by Per Ragnar) whose paedophilic past is not explicitly elaborated on in the film; the character instead is left rather ambiguous. Håkan kills young teenage boys and drains them of their blood to feed Eli, it is assumed that they move from one place to another quite quickly, but Håkan is beginning to show the strains of time and is becoming increasingly incompetent. Meanwhile Oskar has his own problems with a gang of school bullies who attack him with a whip at night and urinate on his trousers when he’s in the gym. Oskar’s parents are also a cause for concern his mother absent much of the time and his father continued drinking means that Oskar is often alone and away from any meaningful authority figure. Eli instructs him to hit the bullies harder and they’ll leave him alone. Whilst Oskar battles with the bullies, Eli must fend for herself and begins preying on a group of local wasters, Eli murders one and attacks another leading to the suspicions and vengeance of Lacke (played by Peter Carlberg). The films plotline is deceptive in its simplicity, although there are at least three major plot strands (and another two or three minor strands) the narrative is unashamedly singular and unpretentious. Events unravel in chronological order and there are no needless framing devices or flashbacks. Oskar and Eli are clearly the main characters and even when the film switches to different subjects or persons we can remain certain that it will eventually switch back. Although the various strands of the story do not converge in the way they might have, they do all contribute in one way or another to the films final outcome. It is understandable that audiences, when leaving the cinema after first viewing, do not to completely fathom why there has been such unprecedented hype surrounding the film; however within a few days of viewing, the films total impact becomes apparent. Let the Right One In is an insidious assault on the senses, insidious because on the surface there appears to be nothing extraordinary about the film in terms of character or narrative, but underneath the surface lays a huge wealth of interpretive possibilities.

There are two major differing interpretations of the film due to its ambiguity. The more common perception is that the film is a love story between Eli and Oskar (as the books author insists is in fact the case), the book upon which the film is based may well have been clearer on the subject matter, but our interpretation of the film is exclusive and can not take the source material into account. The film is evidently murkier than the book which is of interest as the screenplay is adapted by the author, perhaps he did not realise quite how ambiguous his screenplay had become. Whilst the love story interpretation is entirely visible and valid (from tender moments like Eli and Oskar’s first embrace to pivotal plot points such as Eli’s extraordinarily violent protectiveness of Oskar) there is a darker reading of the film which sees Eli recruiting Oskar to take over from Håkan. Eli recognises the destructive qualities within Oskar and intends to manipulate them to her own gains, she can not fend for herself, she needs someone to help her and Håkan is no longer reliable. As already stated the film is open to both interpretations and there are numerous scenes and events which could be interpreted in both ways. For example, Eli’s dismissive and aggressive behaviour towards Håkan and her affectionate behaviour towards Oskar can be read in two ways, either that (a) she doesn’t like Haken because of his paedophilic ways but sees him as useful so has to put up with him, where as by contrast she genuinely falls in love with Oskar and wants to be with him because he’s a kinder less perverse potential partner, or (b) that Håkan has become next to useless at feeding her and is now simply in the way, her affectionate attitude towards Oskar is all pretence so that he’ll fall in love with her and take Håkan’s place. There is of course a third option (c) blending the other interpretations into one, she does set about recruiting Oskar to do her biding because Håkan has become frail and pathetic but along the way she genuinely falls in love with Oskar. This is the interpretation I currently subscribe to, but this could easily change on further viewings...

The age of the central characters gives the film a substantial edge, not coping out and making Eli and Oskar in their late or even early teens, they’re both twelve years of age and crucially the casting department haven’t dropped the ball by giving the roles to older actors, both Hedebrant and Leanderson were born in 1995 so at the time of filming both will have been at the correct age for the characters they play. This sort of casting (in a film as twisted and dark as Let the Right One In) is often avoided in Hollywood productions in particular, but Alfredson was clearly aware that had older performers been cast, or had the script been changed to make Oskar and Eli older, then the film would have suffered untold amounts. Let the Right One In is currently being processed by the American remaking machine into the idiotically retitled Let Me In (apparently American audiences get confused if the title has more than three words, which of course is not true but this is what Hollywood thinks of their audience); to be directed by Matt Reeves of Cloverfield fame, Reeves risks gutting the film if he changes the ages of the two leads but keeping both of them at twelve will be a substantially difficult task within the Hollywood system. This is of course not the first time a child vampire has been portrayed, Neil Jordon’s 1994 film Interview with the Vampire famously featured a young Kirsten Dunst as Claudia, she continued to grow old from within the body of a child; even the US series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel featured child vampires briefly from time to time. The difference with Let the Right One In is that the entire plot hinges on two children - they’re not supporting players. Both Hedebrant and Leanderson are results of outstanding casting, particularly Hedebrant who perfectly captures Oskar’s external innocence offset by occasional outbursts of violence. Hedebrant lends Oskar a gorky naivety, he appears innocent, he behaves like a child, he plays by himself in the square outside the block of flats where he lives. But despite his youthful appearance and actions, there is a persevering spirit within Oskar, a spirit clouded by darkness. When Oskar realises that Eli is a vampire, his reaction is one of unfussed acceptance, is this a child’s inexperience or a mature acceptance of whatever life throws at him? As with every element of Let the Right One In, the question is not one that can be definitively answered.

The bullies are also exceptionally well cast, written and performed, they appear to be real children rather than caricatures. They’ve not been cast to look unnaturally mean and in fact all three members of the twelve year old gang at some point in the film feel that their terrorising of Oskar has gone too far, the blonde haired child in particular who bursts into tears when violence ensues beyond what was expected, it is also revealed the lead bully is himself bullied by his older brother. The age of the bullies also leads to a complex moral question within the film, we want Oskar to strike back, we want him to hit the bullies harder, deep down inside we may want them to die, effectively wishing for the murder of a group of children which leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, but this is where Alfredson’s film leads us emotionally. We’re rooting for Eli and Oskar to get together and yet Eli is technically hundred of years old, if the genders were reversed would we be so enthusiastic for their blossoming romance? Morally dubious? Yes it certainly is (it is a film which would not have been possible to make in the not so distant past), but it is never exploitative, excessive or even particularly explicit.

WARNING: The Rest of this article contains spoilers.

The film is not quite perfect; flaws include poorly designed CGI cats in a crucial scene, although the scene has a darkly comic undertone which makes the poor special effects easier to swallow. But more severe than this is the films overbearing score – one music cue in the films emotional climax is intended to be highly rousing but instead feels forced. However this is offset by the meticulous editing, as this music plays Eli and Oskar share their first kiss, we cut to the dead man on the floor who Eli has just drained of all blood. The scene is a moment of grotesque humour which is augmented by the music. The rousing score contradicts the unpleasant juxtaposition of love and murder.

Dark and Snowy Sweden is moody but also appropriate setting, long nights and short days make sense when compared to the bright lights of California for example, where other Vampire set films, TV shows and books have been set in the past.

Sweden’s lack of vampire cinema in the past means it is ideal for building its own mythology. Sunlight is instantly deadly (and causes violent explosions). A vampire must be invited in to someone’s home (they may cross the threshold uninvited but with dire consequences as Eli proves when she enters Oskar’s home and blood begins to pour from every orpheus until Oskar screams “yes, come in!”). Animals are afraid of the vampires, and vampires have reflections. Eli’s stomach makes unsettling noises when she’s hungry, over worldly grumble can be clearly heard at several key intervals, these noises help to create tension when she’s around Oskar because we know what she’s capable of and that her primal instincts may override her better judgement or even her emotions. Although there is nothing amazingly radical about this particular vampire mythology, it is distinct enough. Alfredson and Lindqvist were both intelligent enough not explain the mythology but rather let the audience work out the rules as we go along. When Håkan and Eli move into their flat they immediately tape cardboard boxes to the windows, from this and other clues like it we can deduce that sunlight will affect Eli in some way. This is how all of Let the Right One In’s mythos is explored and exposed, through the story rather than contrived dialogue.

Another area where Let the Right One In is set apart from other films of its genre is in its bold and often grotesque sense of humour. Be it a Poodle discovering Håkan in the middle of draining a young boy of blood, Håkan can drug a man, slice his neck and harvest his blood but is unsure what action to take when confronted with an overtly curious canine. Oskar’s gym instructor with his old fashioned ways is oblivious to the violence around him, his broken Swedish and older militaristic attitude also solicit laughs. But the films standout sequence has to be the final massacre at the Swimming bathes, as the bullies return to exact vengeance against Oskar the lead bully’s older brother holds Oskar under the water, with the threat of a knifing if he emerges before the three minutes are up. Eli has left town and the gym instructor has been distracted by a fire the bullies lit outside - Oskar is alone and vulnerable. What is initially a disturbing sequence, with the possibility of Oskar being either stabbed or drowned, soon becomes a paradoxically brutal and hilarious massacre as three of the bullies are literally ripped to shreds by Eli. All the while our focus remains with Oskar calmly floating under the water with his eyes shut as a decapitated head falls into the water followed by a severed arm, another bully is dragged kicking and screaming to the back to the pool, only his legs are seen thrashing around in the water. We don’t see the violence as it’s inflicted but the released tension coupled with the comically horrific injuries the bullies sustain and the singular perspective of the oblivious Oskar make this a hilarious sequence and a brilliant climax to a wonderful film. Eli pulls Oskar from the water, their eyes meet and the love between them is clear, the close up on Eli’s eyes show a tender dedication to her new friend that is as romantic as any of the great love stories of years past. Yet this romance is contradicted by the blood thirsty carnage which surrounds them and the painful sobs of the one surviving member of the mob. It is uncomfortable to contemplate how satisfying and hilarious this potentially heterogeneous scene is considering the eventual is outcome involves the murder of three children, but this is Let the Right One In’s greatest strength – the ability to present its moral and ethical paradoxes as if they’re nothing of the kind.

M.Dawson