Film: Let the Right One In
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Released: 2008
Swedish film with English subtitles.
Characters:
Oskar – Oskar is a 12 year old boy, who has pale skin, blonde hair and blue eyes. Throughout the film we find that Oskar is clumsy, lonely, disturbed, his parents have split up and that he is being bullied by three boys at school. When going out to play, Oskar tends to carry a knife around with him (to make him feel safe) and –rein act’ what the bullies do to him. Oskar’s interests are, reading about murders and crimes and weightlifting after school.
Eli – Eli is also 12 years old, she lives in the apartment next to him (recently moved in) and when first meeting Oskar, she claims that they both cannot be friends. When being with Oskar, Oskar says that she smells and asks why she is not cold (she replies with “I don’t feel it anymore”). Later on in the film with the first murder, we see that Eli is a vampire and can only live off blood. To back the theory up off Eli can only have blood, Oskar offered her a sweet, and after trying it we see that Eli is being sick because of it.
Oskar’s mother – Oskar’s mother is very protective over Oskar, but allows him to play in the court outside and allows him to explore on his own. She is just a housewife and has no major role in the film.
Eli’s ‘father’ – Eli’s so called father is also Eli’s carer. It’s his job to go and murder victims for their blood, by this he kills them in anyway and then hangs them upside down, slits there throat and allows the blood to pour into his container. The character is very mysterious, odd, quite and tries to keep a low profile (does not socialise, keep’s himself to himself). You can see he care’s a lot for Eli.
The film’s general setting is in the Swedish winter, so there is always snow everywhere. Because it is winter in Sweden, this means that a large part of the film is shot in the dark and dull lighting. In the day, the lighting is very bright because of the sun reflecting off the snow and the clear sky. The music that is used during emotional moments and transitions is normally soothing/string music, and usually changes according to the time of day (day = nice and chilled, night = dark) and when it gets intense. Most of the colours in the mise en scene of the film are usually neutral. This is common in horror films as it creates a dull atmosphere, making it more “creepy” and “eerie” for key moments in the film. From the characters appearances and the clothing, I can come to the conclusion that the film is set in the 1980’s, and the locations all seem old.
Binary opposites:
Rich and poor: Oskar’s apartment is a normal living area, but nothing too classy and filled with person belongings giving it that warm home setting. Eli’s apartment is bare with literally nothing in it except for a kitchen, bathroom and somewhere for her to sleep. But, she does have a lot of money and has a Carl Faberge egg, which is worth millions.
Old and young: Oskar is 12 and Eli is also 12, but has looked that age for ages. As her condition will not let her grow.
Good and Evil: Oskar is an innocent and shy boy who wouldn’t harm anyone, and Eli has committed murders.
Equilibrium: Oskar lives happily with his mother in a small town in Sweden and visits his father from time to time.
Disruption: Murders are starting to take place in nearby towns. Eli then moves in next door to Oskar in his apartment. After a while of meeting up with each other, Eli and Oskar become friends, Oskar then tells Eli about him being bullied so Eli tells him to stick up for himself (Later on he hits the main bully with a metal pole to his face, the bullying then stops) and later on, because Eli is his only friend and unaware that she is a vampire, he cuts his hand with a knife (showing that he wants to do blood brothers). Eli turns evil and starts to lick up his blood on the floor while gnarling, she warns Oskar to go but Oskar is in shock. So Eli was able to restrain herself and run off.
Targets:
