Let the Right One In

This is a Swedish movie that a lot of critics have been raving about.  The film is definitely competent and intelligent but really, really slow.  It's a great movie to see if you're in the mood for something a bit blue.  It's essentially a vampire tale told through the lens of two twelve-year-old loners who form a bond against the often inhumane world.  The performances by the two young actors are what really keep the film grounded and their sweetness towards each other is authentic and heartfelt.  Maybe I shouldn't have had a few before the movie, because all I wanted was for the film to move along faster.  There are endless shots of the cold Swedish tundra replete with snow falling from the sky at night and WS of the general grayness and an overbearing lack of color.  Thankfully there's enough blood to add some red flourishes throughout the film.  The metaphor I would use for this film is an incredibly plain bowl of rice with a few really explosive nibbles within it.  There are some incredibly artistic touches that reinvent some vampire cliches (exposure to sunlight, the sounds the vampires make), and one thing I really liked was that a lot of the violent/suspenseful action was shot from a wide angle which somehow really heightened the surprise of it.  But overall I thought the film was a bit of a snore with an ending that was satisfying, if not a little inappropriate.