Låt den rätte komma in.

Do you know what I love? Language. I wish I was more of a linguist, but I think my brain is limited in that sense. I just don't know if I could learn more than a couple of languages.

Or maybe I'm limiting myself...

But in another way, knowing one language has given me access to others. Speaking Danish enables me to tap in to all Scandinavian tongues, as well as bits of German and Icelandic.

I can read Norwegian as if it was Danish, and I can understand most Swedish (especially with subtitles). And that's a bit of a segue into the point of this post:

"Låt den rätte komma in."

I want to talk about the single best film I've seen lately. It's a Swedish Vampire flicker (titled above) which translates roughly to "Let the right one in."

(Lyndsay, please forgive me for this)

With all the "Twilight" buzz these days, it's hard to think that a Vampire film could be more than sappy teenage drama. "Twilight" was not a bad film, but it was a variation on a theme—a theme that taps in and plays to the perpetual demographic of teenagehood.

But as a 30-year-old filmmaker, I am looking for something more: more original, more veristic, more engaging.

"Låt den rätte komma in."


Anyone who knows me knows that my LEAST favorite genre of film is horror. It is gratuitous, it is unintelligent, it is sensational and it is predictable. It is, in a word, pointless.

"Låt den rätte komma in" would fall under the "horror" category, but it could not be LESS of a horror film.

Nor am I a fan of the Vampire genre by any stretch of the imagination. But that's just it! That's exactly why this film takes you by such surprise—why it is so refreshingly original.

I am not one to ruin a film by divulging too much, but let this post suffice to say that "Låt den rätte komma in" is the most original—and interestingly, the most human—take on what it means to be a Vampire.

It is a story told from the perspective of 2 twelve-year old children. I think so much of its brilliance comes from this one decision: Before the teenage drama begins.

And yet, that's also just it. The Vampire is a 12-year-old girl, shy and powerful—fearful and frightening.

OH MAN, it is so good. I want to watch it again immediately. If I had seen this sooner, it would absolutely have been in my Top 5 for 2008. That's how highly I recommend it.

Now, a disclaimer: It's got some seriously intense moments. I would equate it to "Pan's Labyrinth" in terms of intensity. Definitely for adults only.

ONE LAST THING: No matter how you feel about subtitles, DO NOT WATCH THE DUBBED VERSION. It is absolutely awful. Please give it the respect it deserves and watch it in its original language of Swedish. You'll enjoy it SO much more. Trust me on that.

wes.