Let the Right One In

The class ventures back to the Prince Charles Theatre to see Let the Right One In.  Personally, I love this theatre; it has a low-key and calm vibe that presents an instant-comfort aroma.  My favorite part, however, is the unleveled rows of red cozy chairs.  Each paid guest has a great view of the screen and no one leaves with a kink in his or her neck.

We were all excited to be enchanted by the vampire storyline and our nerves began to build.  We did not know what to expect, some were scared, others were anxious as the snow fell in the first scene.  However, this was different than any vampire film we, or at least I, had ever scene.  I’m used to either the blood-sucking ruthless pale man wearing a cape, or glittery beautiful vampires who hate the way they must live.  This vampire was a little girl that the audience couldn’t help but love. And I believe this was the director’s intent.

At first, we see that her father kills a young boy to drain his blood so his daughter can have a meal, and we begin to sense fear, which is normal.  But as the film continues we witness her becoming a friend to Oscar, a young boy who is constantly bullied by his classmates.  Their relationship grows and the audience slowly develops a sense of pity for her, especially when we learn that she wishes she did not have to kill to eat.  Moreover, Oscar figures out her secret and confronts her about it.  She doesn’t admit to being a vampire, only that she lives off blood.

By the end of the film she saves Oscars life by killing each of his bullies, and we should be feeling hatred or loathing towards her but we can’t.  The director has tricked us to think that what she is doing is somehow okay.  Yes, she is a fragile and thin girl who has the strength of a full-grown bear and kills innocent people.  But at the same time she is a hero who saved the life of a helpless timid young boy.