Saw the Tomas Alfredson film Låt den rätte komma in (Let the right one in) last night, in a cinema audience of just six people.
Eli’s Theme, from Låt den rätte komma in
Oskar, bullied at school, meets a newcomer to his block of flats, a slight, dark-haired child named Eli. They grow close, despite Eli warning Oskar at the beginning that they can never become friends. When Eli’s mysterious guardian is caught while trying to kill a youth to drain his blood before making a final sacrifice for Eli, she admits to Oskar that she is a centuries-old vampire.
The hesitant and tender relationship that develops between the two children is delicately explored, and the sorrows, mistakes and pleasures of friendship are played with assurance by the two young stars, Kåre Hedebrant (Oskar) and Lina Leandersson (Eli).
The cinematography (Hoyte van Hoytema) is beautiful and the sparse soundtrack, full of pauses and near-silence, perfect for the pace of the film and the night and snow of Sweden.
I’ve read that the book on which the film is based is darker and more unsettling. Eli’s guardian is a paedophile and Eli, a castrated/emasculated boy, which explains one very brief but puzzling moment in the film and Eli’s repeated assertion that she’s not a girl, which i took to mean that she was saying she was a vampire.
One slightly farcical moment (the unconvincingly cgi cats) to take the edge off perfection but that aside it’s a quiet, thoughtful, disturbing film that’s left quite an impression. Recommended.