VAMPIRES AND BUTTERFLIES

I'm not completely new to foreign films. It all started when I started watching Japanese animation when I was about 14. I think it's safe to say that most people probably start watching anime that's dubbed and they'll usually start with a very mainstream show. For people like me, whose interest in anime grew beyond that initial stage, I quickly found out that watching anime in its original dialogue with subtitles was the best way to go. After getting used to "reading" through my shows, I became more open to the stuff I'd choose to watch so I started to watch some stand-alone anime movies as well. Eventually I watched a handful of live-action Japanese movies like Casshern and Battle Royale and from that point on, I no longer limited myself to domestic film-making.

At this point in time, I haven't even scratched the surface to really experience some of the great European foreign films out there. But over the last few days I've gotten off to a pretty good start by watching a Swedish vampire film called Let The Right One In and a French film called The Diving Bell and The Butterfly. Coincidentally, both of these films are based on books.

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly

It's common for people to say, "But the book is far better then the movie!" and in most cases this is true but from what I've read, these movies are an exception. Apparently, they actually do justice to the literary work that they're based on. You know a movie is damn good when you plan to read the book after seeing the movie! So, not only do I now have two more books on my must-read list, but these movies have encouraged me further to see what else I've been missing out on in foreign films.

Shortly after watching Let The Right One In I did a bit of reading about it online. Apparently, when the DVD was initially released in North America the subtitles were terrible. After a lot of criticism from fans, the company in charge of the DVD finally re-released the DVD with the proper theatrical subtitles. If anyone is interested in the movie, make sure that on the back of the DVD case it says: English (theatrical) Subtitles.

Let The Right One In

One other thing worth noting. For whatever reason, they're doing another version of the movie for us people in the states called Let Me In. The title is not the only thing that's different though, they've also changed the two main character's names and the location of where the story is supposed to take place. I can almost say with certainty that this movie is going to be crap in comparison to the Swedish version, so before you start seeing previews for it this summer do yourself a favor and see the more authentic (and likely much better) version.

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly: 9/10
Let The Right One In: 9/10