119. Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One in) (2008)
Director: Tomas Alfredson
I am a huge fan of this story, it's just so grounded, realistic, yet somewhat fantastical and tragic. This is not my first time being introduced to this story, I've seen the American remake simply titled
Let Me In and that became one of my favorite horror films in recent memory. I didn't know this Swedish film existed before I saw the latter, I was told however that it was even better. That being said, both films are both pretty much exactly the same, this one chooses to build most of the tension through wide shots, while the other one favored POV more. I think I love both of them equally.
The story just works on all cylinders, the character arcs are appropriately placed and resolved, the horror is perfectly tied to the heartwarming tale that is the friendship story, it is excellently shot, the atmosphere and setting are genius. Placing this story in the cold, wondrous and beautiful snow really highlights the entire film, the film is cold, wondrous, and beautiful in it's own way. It is very easy to see how much care went into the directing of this flick, not only present through the stylistic choices, the camera angles, and the suspensful sequences, but through the great performances from both young actors. Yes, I am floored with this one and I'm hoping to buy it on Blu-Ray soon to add to my collection. Probably buying both versions to be completely honest, they both have their own strengths. This version's pool scene is superior in every way, yet the american version has an extremely tense car scene that had me on edge the whole time. I'm so happy with both!
SCORE - 94/100