Let Me In (R)
My favorite movie of 2010, Let Me In boasts some of the strongest acting by two children I’ve seen in a long time. Chloe Grace Moretz (Of Kick @#!*% fame) and Kodi Smit Mcphee (Of The Road fame) deliver their strongest performances yet.
Let Me In is a remake of Let The Right One In, a Swedish film that came out in 2008. After its limited release, the film developed a cult following, with one of its followers being the director of Let Me In, Matt Reeves. Matt Reeves’ previous film, Cloverfield, got much critical praise for its documentary style filmaking.When the avid fans of it’s Swedish predecessor heard that Matt Reeves was directing, they had an odd fear that he would use the same tactics and style in Let Me In. They couldn’t be more wrong. Let Me In is a subtle yet terrifying take on the classic bloodsucker genre. One the best, if not the best vampire film I’ve ever seen.
After seeing both the Swedish and American version of the story (originally a book by John Ajvide Lindqvist), I believe that Let Me In is the best choice for someone torn between the two. Kodi Smit Mcphee plays Owen, a depressed boy who is mercilessly bullied at school. Without friends (or a father), Owen spends his evenings stabbing trees with a pocket knife, pretending to kill his bullies. On one of these evenings, he meets a barefooted girl. Moretz plays a sweet (though mysterious) young girl named Abbey who moves in next door in the large apartment complex. Owen soon learns that his new friend is actually vampire, in need of blood. From there, the story is one of love, vengeance, faith, and fear, all wrapped up in a bleak world where hope is scarce. Richard Jenkins (of The Visitor) plays Abbey’s slave/guardian who must go out and get blood for her.
Despite the films bleak, dreary, sad atmosphere, Let Me In provides a sense of horror rarely found. One that has more frightening implications than it does jump scenes or big scares. It aims to make you think, and succeeds with flying colors, mostly red.
Not for the squeamish.
{SEE IT}
