Review: Let the right one in

I tend to catch any horror type movie that comes my way, and it is rare to say that one was really different and special. This movie was. It shatters its genre and goes its own way creating a very individual and moving film.
This Swedish produced film was based off a novel sharing its name. The acting in it is extremely good especially considering that the stars of this film are under the age of 15. It is beautifully shot and scored, and has intensity that feels very much like the other movies within its genre. There are so many elements to this movie and yet they pull it off with such fluid movement it is great to watch.
(SPOILER WARNING) The plot is the story of a young boy who is picked on at school, and basically isolated from the people his age. He is living very solitary when one day he meets a girl about his age. They then begin their awkward teenage love story, but there are more complexities than he originally would have thought. He spends time with the girl and after a while he finally determines the girl he has become so close with isn't quite normal. He discovers that she is in fact hundreds of years old, but because she was 12 when she was affected she stayed that age.
That is only the surface of this movie. Throughout it you witness numerous intense moments as Eli (the girl) attempts to satisfy her cravings, but at the same time you witness tender but basically non sexual moments between the two young stars. It is a touching movie throughout despite what would seem like gruesome content.
One of the main things I truly enjoyed about this movie was its ability to leave some mystery in this thriller. It doesn't lay out in typical brainless fashion exactly whats happening all the time. Eli's past is essentially unexplored allowing the viewer to just watch and learn as they go. There also isn't a cleanly wrapped up ending. Ambiguous endings might seem like commonplace at times, but this one does it very smoothly.
Overall this is a great movie. The score is great. The script is great and so are the actors. If you are at all interested in horror this is definitely a good one within its category.
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