AFFF log

12 y.o. outsider befriends a 12 y.o. vampire in snowy nocturnal Sweden
Links: AFFF / imdb

Tipped as a great film, raving reviews in the papers... I'd prefer not to know these facts but one can't always help hearing them. In this case, I absolutely agree.

The story, a blooming friendship between human and vampire, wasn't spectacularly original, but how it was supported by the visual, editing and overall shape of the film deeply impressed me. After a while the viewer begins to understand that this is not a "developping" storyline (struggling for the phrasing here). The human boy does go through fundamental mental changes and states, but for the vampire girl this is merely a snapshot of an (un)life that never changes. The slow background shots, the images of snow in the night all help to underline the melancholy feeling that creeps into the mind of the viewer: this will never change for her.

Add good effects (the soft rumbling sounds denoting her vampire-side), the classical aspects (can't stand daylight and, of course, they must be invited before they can enter a building) versus perhaps not overly original but at least not sloppily cliche details (you never see her fangs), and you have an absolutely delightful film.

Rating: 9 (8-9-ish)