Let The Right One In

Often when a movie which is based on a book comes out, the book is considerably better than the film. At least that’s what I find.

Last year I viewed a Swedish film called “Let The Right One In”. I fell in love with the movie and have watched it multiple times, in the original Swedish with sub-titles and also dubbed in English. (I prefer watching foreign films with sub-titles in the original language because so much is lost in translation when a movie is dubbed, especially the tones of the voices -- you get to hear what the director originally wanted you to hear.)

The film is an original story about a young boy who is terribly bullied in school. He ends up befriending a girl who looks his age but is actually a 200 year old vampire. It’s not a typical vampire story. The cinematography is also magnificent. So many different picturesque settings. The director, I feel, did a great job of catching emotion in the snowy landscape of Sweden.

Recently I was in a bookstore, just browsing, and I came across the book from which the movie was made. I bought it on the spot. When I’d finished reading the book, I was very impressed. Not only was it a very enjoyable read, it also proved that they did an excellent job in converting the story to film. A lot of subtle questions which were raised in the film were now answered. Some scenes were changed but only for filming practicality -- the story stood strong. Really the only parts missing from the movie were a few sideline stories and some history.

In closing I will state that the movie is still one of my favourites and I would recommend either the book or the movie to anyone, especially if you like vampire stories and want something a little different.