Let the right go in

In the original Låt den rätte komma in (Tomas Alfredson, 2008) is a romantic horror film about a boy and a girl (both 12).

Mise-en-scène is essential in the film. The snow-covered Swedish landscape bring us the feeling of isolation. Inside, lighting is very hard and cold. Outside, it may be also hard or maybe soft. For example, in the first murder scene the light is very hard, and the snow can be seen blue. When Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) and Eli (Lina Leandersson) are speaking, there is backlight from a streetlight, but it is soft, maybe because they are becoming friends.

In some shots, Oskar's outline is blurred. In other ones, it is his reflection in the glass of the window. In my opinion, it means, in the very first scene, that he is alone and frightened and he needs something or someone who completes him and gives him courage.

With regard to the sound, I can only remember music in one or two moments in the film. Most of it remains in silence. Only dialogues and a few sounds break with silence, which creates a sense of isolation.