Wonkette Movie Night: Let The Right One In

'I'm twelve. But I've been twelve for a long time.'

Låt den rätte komma in (Let The Right One In) is a Swedish film based on a 2004 novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist. A unique vampire love story between a centuries-old 12-year-old and a twelve-year-old 12-year-old. Oskar is bullied and lonely, staring out the window to the snow covered playground in the middle of the housing complex where he lives with his mother. He thinks of revenge to punish the boys who call him a piggy and beat him up. But his fear holds him back and his tormentors have him outnumbered.

Oskar spends his evening on the empty playground, where he can take his frustrations out by stabbing a tree. But then, they appeared atop the jungle gym, as if from thin air. Coatless and shoeless in the bitter cold, the first thing they say to Oskar is,

“Just so you know, I can’t be your friend.”

They introduce themselves as Eli.

Eli and an older man have just moved in next door to him and Oskar assumes the man is Eli’s father. It is clear these two have secrets as the windows are immediately covered and Eli is only seen at night.

A man has disappeared and the man’s friend insists he saw a child attack him. He is not believed but then a different man is found dead, hanging from his feet and suffering from a throat wound that seemed as if an apparent bloodletting had been interrupted.

Against a frozen backdrop, Oskar and Eli’s friendship deepens. They both are drawn to the uniqueness they sense in each other. Eli asks Oskar, “Do you like me?” He replies that he does. Then Eli asks,

“If I wasn’t a girl ... would you like me anyway?”

Oskar doesn’t need to think about it too much.

“I suppose so.”

And yet the bodies begin to pile up. Oskar realizes that his friend Eli is a vampire, centuries old and living off blood. Oskar is at first repulsed by Eli’s need to kill. But he is in love and Oskar accepts Eli as they are, not male nor female, not young nor old. Eli is human but not, a powerful being that still needs a caretaker. Eli has lost Håkan, the older man dedicated to their survival. I can imagine that Håkan was once like Oskar, a boy, an outcast, smitten but never bitten, bound to Eli for life. His life. As Eli’s never ends.

Let The Right One In is available for free with ads on Tubi, Pluto, The Roku Channel, Xumo Play, and Fandango At Home. Free with subscription on Prime.

Let The Right One In stars Lina Leandersson, Kåre Hedebrant, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl, Patrik Rydmark, Karin Bergquist, and Anders T. Peedu. Directed by Tomas Alfredson.

To make requests and see the movie lists and schedules go to WonkMovie.

The animated short is The Wedding Veil Of The Proud Princess by Dragonbee Animation.

Our next Movie Night selection is Creature From The Black Lagoon, it is available for free on the Internet Archive. Free with ads on Tubi. $3.99 in the usual places.