Customer Reviews

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN [Soundtrack]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is my new favorite film. I came across it on Landmark Theatre's website last month. I loved the film I have seen it twice. The film is based on the John Ajvide Lindqvist novel LET ME IN which has been re-published as LET THE RIGHT ONE IN. The story centers around twelve year old Oskar Eriksson who lives in Blackberge, Sweden, a working class neighborhood. Oskar is a loner and is constantly picked on by a few of his peers at school. One night he meets the mysterious Eli, a young girl who had moved into his apartment building with her adult companion Hakan. Initially the two children are wary of each other but over time they begin a cautious friendship which leads to a subtle romance.

I loved the film because it transcends the horror genre. The film's score by Johan Soderqvist with the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra really drives the melancholy and sadness in the characters in the film. The classical film score is definitely not your traditional score for a horror movie. Johan Soderqvist does a brilliant job of capturing the essence of the films' characters as well as the film itself. I love the fact that Johan wanted to incorporate both melody and emotions into his music. "Eli and Oskar" in particular is a stunning song that captures the loneliness and sadness of these two young individuals. "Eli's Theme" invokes the terror that Eli brings to the screen as a vampire. The movement reminds me of the music from PSYCHO with the gradual build up and then the explosion of cymbals, percussion, and the array of stringed instruments. Another great song is "The Father". This is from the scene where Oskar is visiting his father. The gorgeous lush melodies is similiar to "Eli and Oskar" but not as somber.

There isn't anything about the soundtrack to LET THE RIGHT ONE IN that I didn't like. The music helped gave the film the emotional depth that it required. Johan's work is never overwhelming to the ears. Even when the music is about to hit its peak like on "Eli's Theme", the music is never obnoxiously bombastic like the music by Hans Zimmer and John Williams' tends to be. If you loved the film as much as I do as well as the music, do try to find a copy of this terrific soundtrack. It is breathtaking to listen to especially on a cold winter's night.

Track List:
01. The Arrival
02. Eli and Oscar
03. Eli's Theme
04. The Slaughter
05. Oscar in Love
06. Hiding the Body
07. After the Fight
08. Oscar Strikes Back
09. Virginia Wakes Up
10. The Father
11. Spotting a Victim
12. Giving Up
13. Death of Hakan
14. Virginia is Bitten
15. Then We Are Together
16. Virginia in Flames
17. Eli Bleeds
18. Related by Blood
19. Lacke Dies
20. Going Home
21. Let the Right One In

Beautiful, classical, sublime, emotive - just a few ineffectual words to describe this amazing soundtrack. A fine balancing act between the darker & hopeful themes of the story. And like the movie, acting & direction itself, this could have - should have, imho - won an oscar. An absolute tragedy that this entire project was boxed out of award contention.

The score for this film is lovely, especially the track called, "Oskar in Love".

Beautiful movie, beautiful soundtrack.

The soundtrack to this movie is great. If you watch the movie you know what I'm talking about. Well worth the purchase.

Like many, I was incredibly touched by the film 'Let the Right One In'. The haunting film has garnered many re-viewings from me. The heart wrenching tale of two twelve year olds that find, accept, and pull each other out of a pit of loneliness is so memorable that I've been grabbing everything LTROI related that I can find. The UK blu-ray edition, US release movie poster, and the soundtrack.

However, I simply can not listen to the soundtrack. Not because it's bad in anyway, but because it is so spectacular. Johan Söderqvist captures the themes and characters of LTROI in his score so hauntingly that I'm typically overcome emotionally and have to silence it in order to get anything productive done. Upon listening, I find myself staring out the window, my eyes wet, remembering the build up of their sweet romance. The snow covered playset in the square, the Rubik's cube, the candy store...(sigh).

Eli and Oskar's themes instantly produce tears for me. Each theme captures the character in music perfectly. The melancholy score captures the blossoming friendship and love between the Oskar and Eli through sweeping strings and beautiful acoustic guitars. However, each track is typically accompanied by an undercurrent of additional strings (this time screeching), Söderqvist's masterful use of a bass waterphone, and other otherworldly sounds.

These undercurrent sounds capture the horror that each character has experienced; Eli's 200 years of forced horror and loneliness, and Oskar's bullied existence. Most effective is the bass waterphone, it's dripping sounds reminiscent of dripping blood, or seconds ticking down reminding the listener of Eli's long and lonely life, soon relieved by someone very special.

A wonderfully melancholy masterpiece!