Låt den rätte komma in

For the last several years it would seem that the entire U.S has had been infected with Vampire fever. Granted this isn’t as spooky-scary as baby fever or even feline AIDS, but has still made it’s indentation in the form of two glittery teeth marks on the necks of every frail and squeamish teenage girl willing to invite them in. It’s a shame; Blade was so much more bad ass.

With the glow of electric sex and teenage hormones surrounding all the hype, it’s no wonder that I (at first) found the idea of viewing a current vampire flick off putting. Admittedly, I have never seen the series which will remain unnamed. In fact, the only vampire films I have ever experienced are 1994’s Interview with a Vampire and 1998’s Blade. Both excellent, so let’s try not to be pretentious here.

Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right one In) is a 2008 Norwegian film by John Ajuide Lindguist (who also wrote the novel by the same name) and director Thomas Aflreadson. Please don’t watch it in English; you’ll barely notice the Swedish as you go along. It stars Kare Hendenbrant, who plays Oskar. We meet him as a twelve year old boy who is very much trying to establish his identity in a life of full of absentee parents and void of supervision and otherwise care. He is on the cusp of who is going be. Soon we are introduced to Eli (also played out in a twelve year old) characterized by Lina Leandersson, a headstrong siren type that both saves and dooms her new building mate. Set in a small community of Blackenberg in Stockholm in the 50’s, the films universe consists of those would be deceived, like the unsuspecting character Jocke (Mikel Rahm), those who would be picked off like Virginia (Ika Nora) and those would be sacrificially devoted, such as Eli’s caretaker Håken (Per Ragner).

We begin to get a sense of Håken’s full devotion of Eli, with incomprehensible grace-like-love when we review the death of their first victim. He subdues a man in the woods using a halothane device (continuity issue: halothane is a general anesthetic and immediately causes a short term loss of consciousness. In this scene the victim struggles to retain consciousness after being gassed.) However, much like this and several other film gaffs’ not everything goes smoothly and their plan beings to become unhinged.  After Håken’s fate is sealed Eli must find another way to survive and begins to groom Oskar as a new front man to face the world. He is both fascinated and only a little hesitant to commit himself in becoming part of Eli.

There are several striking scenes in this picture. One of which is after an undressed Eli climbs in to Oskar’s bed he asks “Do I have a chance with you?”  Eli’s replies “Can’t we just be like this?” Leaving a note the next day which reads

“TO FLEE IS LIFE, TO LINGER- DEATH. – Your Eli”.

 Every time I am in this situation, I feel the exact same way. Theirs is the beginning of a romance, but Eli tries to tell Oskar that things are not what they appear to be. Throughout the movie it is never directly stated, however questioned several times is Eli’s sexuality. While Eli is changing there is a two second shot of the pelvic region where a scar is revealed to us.  Eli is obviously a male in this film; the observer can be thrown off by small physical features brought on by the halting his age. Although we are never keyed in to how old he is exactly, Eli’s castration scar would date him much older than his appearance.

The original writings of Let the Right one In contains much more on this subject and the full expression of Oskar and Eli’s attraction to each other. Although this film is only three years old the United States has already placed guardianship of Låt den rätte komma in Hollywood itself and created a bastardized, bleached and unnecessary remake. We call his version Let me in.



Writer John Ajuide Lindguist

Double entendre!

The 2008 flick Shortbus by ThinkFilms and director John Cameron Mitchell is a deconstruction and total reversal of the American storyboard/storytelling experience.  Mitchell began casting for this film then built his and tailored his script around the chemistry of his actors. Through the hard work and hashing out of the original screenplay during workshops they altered the destination, and Mitchell was able to leave us at place no one anticipated getting off at.

Many obstacles were laid out before the final shooting of Shortbus and the eventual relises at Sundance in 2006. Including the loss of two financial backers and two main actors pulling out. Sook-Yin Lee (who plays Sophia) is a prominent air anchor in Canada and due to the racy nature of the film, had her job threatened if she continued working on the project. She did, the community came to her defense and film proceeded.

We begin entering the lives of our paramour’s midst the throws of passion and hatred, in New York.  Here is where we first experience Rob (Raphael Barker) and Sophia (Lee), our married couple; The Jamie’s (Paul Dawson and PJ DeBoy) our homosexual couple ; Severin (Lindsay Beamish) our dominatrix and Caleb ( Peter Stickler ) the cognitive narrator/ stalker for all intensive purposes.  Each of these people needs something. They are equally unfulfilled in some disproportionate way, balancing together on the Shortbus itself. As is the case often in life what one person lacks, another had fine attributes in the way of. Sophia has never had an orgasm. Rob can’t get off since he can’t give her one. He put it best when he said, in theoretical discussion about his wife’s client (located the deleted scenes)”A man knows when his lover doesn’t cum!” he knows…

Some of our character’s may view their deficiency’s as purely psychological, however as we get to know then better we get to see the total person perspective and the fact that it is a physical uncertainty that belongs to them as well. The Jamie’s consult a couple’s counselor (with a focus on sex therapy) when the idea opening up the relationship occurs. This is where they meet Sophia. All of our characters come to a head while arriving at underground salon “for the gifted and challenged” as told by the Maitre d' and proprietor Justin Bond (who plays himself). Some of the scenes in the underground are not unlike that of the reel-to-reel footage of Ken Kesey’s journey and is indeed a Magical Trip of its own. This is also where we meet members of the house band, including Bitch, whose been known to wonder in to Al’s bar once or twice.  

Defy the logic of your sex laws. Take this movie in without considering it as such or comparing it to that of the pornography industry.  The mechanics of having real sex on camera has a lot of work involved, including HIV and STD testing for all of the actors/ ‘sextras’ ( don’t worry if you don’t know what that is, by the time you board the Shortbus you will) and locating a condom that doesn’t look like they are wearing one. Do yourself a favor and watch the deleted scenes, they are not only hilarious but include scratched subplot.

Shortbus has an abundance of sexual content in it (including a ten minute opening) so my advice is to watch this alone or with someone you love..physically.



Director John Cameron Mitchell, amongst the world he created.



Welcome to your new addiction

AGE/SEX/LOCATION



*Documentary: intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record.

*Mock: to use ridicule or derision.

Having a view from a lens, your eyes or your pen will always be askewer. No matter how just and earnest you attempt to define the total perspective.

Age/Sex/Location is a mockumentary from the minds of Kentucky's own Jeremy Midkiff and GINMAY native Jonathan Harlan Moore - which captures the new and unlikely friendship of Ova Reynolds (Moore), who raises cock-fighting roosters, and Rob Bronson (Midkiff), who owns a pyramid scheme.

You may recognize Midkiff from the band Big Fresh, from the public library or perhaps on a cool fall night on the outskirts on Triangle Park peddling his homely fresh beads to those who would be adorned by them.

Jonathan Harlan Moore is a native of GINMAY Kentucky and currently resided in a white hot museum in Hotlanta, moving down there in this vast year of our Lord, two thousand and eleven. He enjoys animation, juice fasts, pistol whipping and Elvis yoga.

*Warning: Some or all of this information may have been found on Wikipedia.

I recently caught up with Rob on one of his weekend trips to the Haggling Hag peddlers mall n' search Co. in search of some new jewels to spin.

Interview to follow. But for now, just enjoy the show...