Kirk (nkl) wrote, @ 2008-11-14 14:00:00

A lonely vampire in the snow
I've been thinking that the popularity of vampires is totally out of control. You'd think there would be occasional lulls, in between Anne Rice and Buffy and whatnot, but no. It's apparently a neverending assembly line. There's a vampire show on HBO now, and it's possible I'm just not travelling in the right circles, but it seems like no one is even noticing. Too much product? I mean, if even the Mormons are doing it... (Which makes me wonder, does this mean the Mormons find vampires less objectionable than gays?) This isn't meant as a criticism, just an observation. It could be worse. George Lucas could decide to do three more Star Wars movies. (Or really worse: George Lucas could decide to do a vampire movie. Though at least that might answer the question, is it possible to create a vampire with absolutely zero charisma?)

So a week ago we saw a Swedish vampire movie. You have to admit, the concept alone of the preceeding sentence almost has you buying a ticket, right? This movie is called Let the Right One In, a great title in my opinion. Also, happily, a seriously great movie.

[General plot outline follows, nothing too specific or spoiler-ish.]

This is about a 12-year old boy who befriends a 12-year-old girl. The girl is a vampire. They bond in a halting sort of way, mainly through mutual isolation. The boy is shy and sometimes bullied at school. The girl, well, is a vampire, and not part of any group or quasi-family. It's just her. The tone is contemplative, I could say existential or just very Swedish. Being a vampire is seen as a sad and lonely existence, and the matter of killing people to live is viewed as dreary and exhausting. The girl, Eli, accepts what she is without self-pity but also without particularly enjoying it. There is a forward-moving plot but mainly the movie is concerned with observing these two characters. I don't know how widely this will be released, but I highly recommend it. Oh, one of the critical blurbs on the newspaper ad literally says, "Go see it before an American version ruins it." No joke, apparently there will be an American remake sometime in 2009. See this one instead.

	jupe 2008-11-14 19:15 (link)
	Well, at least there are occasional lulz. Also, yes, Mormons find vampires less objectionable than gays. Unless the vampires are gay, in which case they will go to hell. I'm totally going to see the Swedish vampire movie, though! I will let you know what I think once I have. I mean, I've heard good things. (Reply to this) (Thread)