Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In). 2008. Sweden. Directed by Tomas Alfredson. Screenplay by John Ajvide Lindqvist. With Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson and Per Ragnar. DCP. In Swedish; English subtitles. 104 min.
Magnolia Pictures’ marketing savvy turned this Swedish romantic horror film into a sleeper hit stateside in the fall of 2008. Oskar, a timid boy who lives with his mother in a depressing apartment building outside Stockholm, meets mysterious new neighbor Eli, a girl who appears to be his age. Of course, looks can be deceiving, and it’s soon clear that Eli harbors some serious secrets. But is that such a bad thing? Director Alfredson displays a deft touch with his young actors as they navigate the perils of a unique adolescence experience punctuated by moments of bloodthirsty violence.