"Let the Right One In": a Swedish vampire flick

MediaPhile@evpl — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:58:00 GMT

A Swedish vampire flick, you say? Impossible -- there is no such genre!

But here it is in the flesh. And it turns out that it not only netted a whopping 97% rating on rottentomatoes.com but "Cloverfield" director Matt Reeves is making an American version to be released in 2010.

So is it worth all the hype? Well, yes and no.

I am of the opinion that American filmmaking is so good that it is hard to find a "foreign" flick that rivals our productions technologically -- in cinematography, editing, special effects, sound quality, etc. Our acting and directing techniques are also quite polished. And, of course, a ton of money is poured into most American productions, and money talks in alot of ways.

That said, this film -- in Swedish with English dubbing -- has a striking and inventive plot, an increasingly forbidding atmosphere, and two marvelous child actors -- the blonde (almost Albino) Oskar and the dark mysterious Eli who moves in next door. So what if some of the minor characters can't act and the set designs shout of production on a shoestring? It is still a really cool flick and I can't wait for Reeves' version due out next year!

By the way, the movie is based on a bestselling Swedish novel, Låt Den Rätte Komma In by John Alvide Lindqvist, who also wrote the screenplay for the movie.

Movies Blog : movies, reviews, vampires

"Let the Right One In": a Swedish vampire flick