Let the Right One In Analysis

Let The Right One In (2008) by Tomas Alfredson is about a lonely, bullied child (Oskar) who finds both love and revenge when a new and strange girl moves in next to him who turns out to be a vampire. This film has been credited by a number of critics to have very unique and effective cinematography which is why I decided to analyse it so I could pick up techniques used, in my own film. I tried to analyse all the main techniques used in the film and relate them to the 4 elements I need to incorporate in my own film; these are Use of colour as a narrative and symbolic element, lighting change as a narrative device, a sequence shot and a point of view sequence.

The most notable cinematography technique used is the shallow depth of field which is used in almost every scene in the film. It is used predominantly when framed on Oskar or Eli’s heads or when the scene is focused around them and it is done here to give a sense that both the characters want to be wrapped up in their own protective bubble and their own worlds. For example the scene where Oskar gives Eli his Rubik’s cube, as the dialogue progresses and the intimacy between the characters intensifies, the shots get a more shallow depth of field and the background becomes less and less clear. This is connotes the safety and friendship between these two characters as it shows that nothing in the frame is important compared to the two subjects that are in focus and this is a very effective technique because it forces the audience to just watch what is going on in the foreground so they are not distracted by anything else (such as the falling snow) and focus their attention to the relationship between the characters instead.

The second technique I picked up on was the use of colour throughout the film especially when relating to characters and the underlying themes they carry with them. For example, Eli, the vampire, is always wearing a light, dull coloured top or dress normally pale blue, white or grey. This connotes that Eli is innocent and vulnerable which makes the audience feel sympathy towards her, even though she is technically the ‘monster’ in the film. The reason this is done is because it supports the main narrative, the love story between Oskar and Eli, by making the audience empathise with both characters whilst also connoting that even though Eli has to kill people and drink their blood, she only does it because she has to survive.

The colour of Oskar and Eli’s hair also seems very deliberate as it connotes their type of character profile. Oskar has the bleach blond and almost white hair so we see him as a very young, innocent child who is misunderstood and neglected by his parents, whereas Eli with dark black hair, is shown to have a more evil and dangerous side. Obviously these conventions wouldn’t be obvious without the narrative but they definitely enhance the way the audience subconsciously judges the characters.