Monday, October 27, 2008

The Greatest Movie...

... that tells the sweetest, most delicate tale of romance
between an ancient killing machine and an awkward little boy?

Let the Right One In (2008)

I saw two movies this weekend that had at their centers a disarmingly sweet story of love amidst the accumulating ruins (sidenote: the other is Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York which I will surely write more about later this week once I see it again, but oh my goodness I think it was so so swell), and here in Tomas Alfredson's angsty vampire flick the weird off-kilter balance between sweetness and horror made for a really unique... something. A mood, a feeling, an aura... this movie plunks you down into its chilly landscape and everything seems to slow, including the flow of your own blood. There are visuals here to stay with you forever. And while I want to say I thought the film was a little too long, I couldn't see anything that should've been trimmed. Everything falls into place with such meandering precision, and is awash in this dulled... this numbed atmosphere. Which is wholly appropriate given the subject. It's just a really complete experience, and one of a kind, I thought. A really fascinating take on vampirism as a refuge for moral ambivalence.
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1 comment:

Dale said...

About thirty minutes ago I found out this is actually showing at a cinema in my city, and I am so bloody excited. Can't wait can't wait can't wait can't wait can't wait!