Film Review: Let Me In

Let Me In. Rated MA15+ (strong horror themes and violence). 115 minutes. Written and directed by Matt Reeves.

One of the many problems with English-language adaptations of foreign films (in this case, the Swedish vampire thriller Let The Right One In – adapted for the screen from his novel by John Ajvide Lindqvuist and directed by Tomas Alfredson), is the extent to which much of the original’s impact is lost in translation.

In the case of Mr Reeves’ (the sensational pop-cult masterpiece Cloverfield) hypnotically beautiful rendering of Lindqvist’s compelling ‘rites of passage’ story – the answer is both everything and nothing.

Owen’s (Kodi Smit-McPhee) parents are going through an acrimonious divorce and he is being bullied at school. The sensitive boy escapes the misery of his bleak existence fantasising about how he might take revenge against his tormenters. When young Abby (Chloë Grace Moretz) and her guardian (Richard Jenkins) move in to the apartment next door, Owen and Abby begin a friendship that will evolve into the most extraordinary bond – built of love, trust, courage and self-determination.

Reeves and his creative team (including Melbourne-born Cinematographer Greig Fraser) infuse their adaptation with many of the original’s visual motifs – none more so than by successfully transplanting their version from an isolated, snow-bound town in Sweden to an equally isolated, snow-bound Los Alamos, New Mexico. The intoxicating, wintery landscape provides the film with some extraordinary moments (such as the sequence where the body of a murder victim is retrieved from a frozen lake), while providing Fraser with limitless opportunities to create some equally extraordinary lighting. Oscar-winning composer for Up (2009) Michael Giacchino provides a brilliant score that rages against the sequence of events as the film powers toward its gripping conclusion.

The performances are superb, with young Australian Smit-McPhee (The Road) and Moretz shining as the young leads, while Elisa Koteas delivers a beautifully under-stated performance as the policeman investigating the strange turn of events. Editor Stan Salfas ramps up the relentless tension by rarely letting the film’s pace settle into a recognisable rhythm for very long.

Let Me In is an absorbing, visceral cinematic experience that will reward lovers of beautifully-made, superbly acted coming-of-age dramas – with a stunning (and perversely rewarding) sting in its tail.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.