Let Me In (2010)
Rating – 4/4
*SPOILERS*
Directed by Matt Reeves and starring Chloe Grace Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee, Let Me In follows lonely and bullied Owen (McPhee) and the mysterious Abby (Moretz) in 1982 in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Also starring are Richard Jenkins, Dylan Minnette, and Elias Koteas. There’s vampires, romance, and it isn’t Twilight.
Let Me In is a story of adolescence, bullying, friendship, and romance. Owen, a twelve-year-old boy, lives a lonely life. The only child of his divorced parents, he lives with his alcoholic and overly religious mother in a small apartment in Los Alamos, New Mexico and is bullied relentlessly at school by Kenny (Minnette) and his gang. But when Abby and her father (Jenkins) move into Owen’s apartment complex, his life begins to change. Slowly, he and Abby start a unique friendship, based on a desire for connections.
But Abby is hiding a dark secret. In reality, she’s a centuries old vampire, forced to kill and drink blood in order to survive, and move from place to place. Let Me In is not just a coming-of-age film, but also a horror film, where vampirism is a metaphor for the loneliness and pain of growing up. And throughout the movie, the question is whether Abby is really a monster. Vampires may not exist, but bullies certainly do and the ones in this film are worse than any vampire. The real horror is life itself.
At this point, it should be mentioned that Let Me In is a remake of the 2008 Swedish film, Let The Right One In, directed by Tomas Alfredson. Rarely is there a Hollywood remake that stays true to the source material and presents a film that delivers the same heart, energy, and performances that the original did, and this film does just that. McPhee and Moretz have great chemistry and maturity on-screen, especially in a film for adults. Their friendship is sweet and innocent, yet never feels forced or cheesy from a clichéd romance film. Richard Jenkins also shines as The Father, portraying a depressed man tired of traveling with Abby and protecting her. For those who’ve seen the original, Let Me In might feel like a shot-for-shot remake, but it stands out on its own too with just enough to keep it fresh. And for genre fans, there’s enough vampire horror to satisfy as well.
In a world where “Romance” and “Vampires'' are synonymous with the Twilight series, Let Me In is not that type of film. It has romance, but nothing like the stalker behavior of Edward Cullen. It has fleshed out and multi-dimensional characters unlike Bella Swan. It’s not some teenage fantasy with Team Edward or Team Jacob, or sparkling vampires that fight with werewolves. No, Let Me In only uses its supernatural themes to explore the pains of childhood and being alone in a world of bullies and bad guys. And unlike many vampire movies, this one doesn’t suck.
