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Oh how lonely it is sometimes to be a child. Oskar fantasizes about stabbing the bullies that pick on him mercilessly. So when he meets the odd new girl who moves into his apartment complex, they find a bond in their loneliness. The only difference between them is that the girl has been lonely for centuries. This Swedish gem becomes one of the best vampire movies ever made because it deals with all the standards of vampirism in a surprisingly sweet coming of age story. The pieces are familiar, but fit together so poignantly that I was surprised it hadn’t been done before.

Oskar’s parents are split and he has no friends before Eli (Lina Leandersson) moves in next door. Schoolmate Conny (Patrik Rydmark) not only likes to constantly torture Oskar (Kare Hedebrant), but likes to recruit other less willing boys to torture him too. He’s not just a bully, but a bully incubator. Eli warns Oskar that she can’t be his friend, but her distance doesn’t stop Oskar from trying. We know something is not right with this pale 12-year-old girl. She seems not at all bothered by the cold when outdoors at night without shoes on. The older man, Hakan (Per Ragnar), whom she lives with, is less friendly than her, and his full relationship to her isn’t made clear until we’re well into the story. When people start turning up murdered, Oskar is captivated, one of his hobbies is collecting news clippings about death. So a match with a bloodsucker seems perfect, right?

Director Tomas Alfredson and writer John Ajvide Lindqvist are telling two coming of age stories on top of their thoughtful vampire tale. Oskar is an odd, but sweet kid who is confused about bullies, his parents and possibly his own emerging sexual identity. Then you have the charming love story between Oskar and Eli. There relationship is an oasis from their loneliness. Eli reminded me of Anne Rice’s child vampire Claudia from INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE. However, as played by Kirsten Dunst in the film version, the character’s dramatics seem like a spoiled child who has never matured over her decades of eternal life. Leandersson’s young vampire shows the maturity of someone whose lived. The thirst for blood is painful in many ways. She’s not too eager to share her “infection” with others. As you’ll see, killing her victims is a merciful act. So we can understand why she wouldn’t want to get close to a human, because they will only get old and die while she stays twelve.

Kids can be cruel. When you look at the childhood of serial killers, they’re usually filled with abuse and isolation. So should we worry about the dark side of the innocent Oskar? Eli encourages him to fight back. But when Oskar learns the truth about Eli, he seems repulsed by her murders, but then he doesn’t seem scared of her. Has love conquered all? We hope that’s the case, because Oskar and Eli do seem made for each other. But romance isn’t pretty. At times our significant others bring out the best in us and at other times the worst. So when the great final scene arrives you might want to make the film’s title a question with “did Oskar” at the beginning. The answer is not as black and white as you’d ever expect.