Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is a pale, quiet boy who is bullied every day at school. At night, he stands alone in the snowy courtyard of his building, stabbing a tree with a knife and pretending it is the boys who torment him. One night, a strange girl named Eli (Lina Leandersson) is sitting on the climbing frame. She has just moved in next door with an older man named Håkan. She tells Oskar they cannot be friends. They become friends anyway.
What makes the film so special is how gently it tells this story. Oskar and Eli tap secret messages to each other through their bedroom wall, share a Rubik's Cube, and slowly fall into a strange kind of love. Both young actors are wonderful. Leandersson in particular is unforgettable, with dark, ancient eyes that make you believe Eli is far older than she looks.
The horror lives at the edges. Håkan goes out at night to kill for blood, and things go wrong. Eli feeds in quiet, sudden attacks. Hoyte van Hoytema's camera keeps a cool distance, and the snow, the dark, and the silence make every scene feel cold and lonely. When the violence comes, it is shocking because the film has been so calm.
It is slow, and some viewers will find the pace and the subtitles hard work. But few horror films are this beautiful, sad, and thoughtful. It is a love story, a story about bullying and loneliness, and a quietly terrifying vampire film, all at once.
