Let Me In (2/1/2011)

Rated R for strong bloody horror violence, language and a brief sexual situation.

Starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins, Dylan Kenin and Elias Koteas

Directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield)

JONATHAN’S WORD: Stephen King calls it the “Best American horror film in the last 20 years.” If you know Stephen King, that means that it’s probably pretty intense…and maybe a bit taboo.

I found it to be both.

TODD’S WORD: I wouldn’t disagree with that. It was a very interesting film about vampires…scratch that…a very interesting film about bullying.

Here’s the story. Twelve-year old Owen is viciously bullied by his classmates and neglected by his divorcing parents. Achingly lonely, Owen spends his days plotting revenge on his middle school tormentors and his evenings spying on the other inhabitants of his apartment complex.
His only friend is his new neighbor Abby, an eerily self-possessed young girl who lives next door with her silent father. A frail, troubled child about Owens’s age, Abby emerges from her heavily curtained apartment only at night and always barefoot, seemingly immune to the bitter winter elements. Recognizing a fellow outcast, Owen opens up to her and before long, the two have formed a unique bond.

When a string of grisly murders puts the town on high alert, Abby’s father disappears, and the terrified girl is left to fend for herself. Still, she repeatedly rebuffs Owen’s efforts to help her and her increasingly bizarre behavior leads the imaginative Owen to suspect she’s hiding an unthinkable secret.

JONATHAN’S WORD: I have to start by just saying, the film was really well done. It catches you from the first moment. It’s scary, it’s intense…and it was fresh in so many aspects. I turned to my friend several times during the film and said, “Wow, I’ve never seen that before!” How many times can you say that in a film today?

So if you’re looking for something chilling and new…this is it.

TODD’S WORD: If you have read many of our reviews you know that my wife loves horror movies and I’m…well I’m a big baby. I would rather watch Toy Story 3 than Saw 6.

JONATHAN’S WORD: Well…yeah! The Saw films stopped being good about halfway through the first one. The question is, would you rather see Toy Story 3 than a quality thriller like Signs, 28 Days Later, or even Derrickson’s The Exorcism of Emily Rose?

TODD’S WORD: Toy Story 3

JONATHAN’S WORD: Cool. Toy Story 3 was a great film. I just wanted to create an even playing field with a film with good animation against good horror.

TODD’S WORD: That’s fair.

That being said, I’m not a horror fan. Lynda is. But once again I found myself in our darkened living room about to watch another scary movie. This time about a girl vampire, and not like the Twilight vampires…nope this was more like 30 Days of Night vampires.

My first clue that this was more than just another scary movie was the cinematography and pace. It looked and felt more like an artsy independent film. And although there is a vampire in the story…this movie is not about vampires. It is about the horror of being bullied.

JONATHAN’S WORD: I agree. It’s not your traditional horror—It’s a mixed bag of nuts. The film is heartwarming at times, and then intensely violent the next. Today’s tasteless horror fans that want the Saw gore will be disappointed with the fact that Let Me In spends time developing things like story and character. But mainstream audiences that scare easily will be cringing at times.

TODD’S WORD: The cast of younger kids is really impressive. Kodi Smit-McPhee is so good at being so awkward. Chloe Moretz is scary but not as scary as the bully Dylan Kenin. And Richard Jenkins and Elias Koteas deliver two great performances as two of the main adult characters.

JONATHAN’S WORD: Performances were great across the board. I just fear for Chloe Moretz’s purity and mental stability as a little girl after taking roles like this one and as the foul mouthed killer in KickAss. Hollywood is a dark place, and parents of these child stars should beware.

TODD’S WORD: The crazy thing is I went into this movie thinking I was not going to like it and Jonathan wouldn’t want a review because it was going to be another trashy horror movie. I was wrong on both accounts. This movie certainly isn’t for everyone, but I have to give it at least a RENTAL score.

JONATHAN’S WORD: This film is a tough one for me. Cinematically, it’s amazing. Probably one of the best scary films I’ve seen in years. But morally, it’s a little taboo. Another example of “bad” appearing good. And a fine line exists between self defense and revenge. I don’t think most young people will notice that in this film. We are a little irresponsible if we let our kids grow up digesting this kind of material regularly.

If parents wanted to watch this on a date together, go for it. But keep this one away from the kids. I’ll call it a RENTAL.

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
This is a tough one because the bully story is very powerful and can lead to some very powerful conversations. That being said, I think you’ll find quite a bit of objectionable content: there’s a quick glimpse of a woman’s breast in one scene, the vampire attack scenes are pretty graphic, and the language is a little intense at times. We recommend that kids skip this one. But we’ve provided a discussion to use if your kids go against wisdom, seeing it anyway and you want to talk with them about what they saw.

Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):

Q: What’s the message/theme of this movie?
A: This is a film about the horrors of bullying. It seems every time I turn around there is another story on the news about bullies. In November, Jonathan wrote a fantastic article called Voices of the Bullied: And Where Bullying Really Stops and just recently he and his son Alec spoke to several hundred teenagers about their experiences. You can watch that video here: https://thesource4ym.com/JonathanAlecBullied/

Since we don’t really recommend the film to kids, if they do see it, use it as an opportunity to talk about healthy responses to bullying.

Q: How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
A: This film should evoke several serious reactions. We should be angry at the adults who continue to miss every sign of bullying. This film was very accurate with how ignorant the adults were about the bullying going on right under their noses. We should be angry at the bullies and we should have compassion for kids like Owen who get picked on daily. But the question is, how do we respond?

Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
A: What we need to do is live out the words of Philippians 2:1-5, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…”

In the article mentioned above, Jonathan said, “Can you imagine if all believers lived out this passage? We could cut down on a whole lotta bullying—that’s for sure!”

He went on to say that, “We need to teach this kind of truth to our kids. The message of this passage is clear. The following is a summary of the Philippians passage in my own words…
If you’re a follower of Christ and have his Spirit in you, then that will reveal itself in love. Humility is the key—considering others better than you! This is the life Christ modeled.”

Ask your child(ren) if they know a bully? Ask them if they have or are currently a victim of bullying. This topic should not be avoided.