After Thoughts...Let Me In [2010] (spoilers)

ROMEO AND JULIET & TRUE LOVE

With its inclusion of vampires, a casual observer would probably just place this movie alongside the likes of the Twilight series and True Blood, not giving the movie another thought.  And with its release coming on the eve of so many other lackluster vampire flicks geared toward a primarily tween girl audience, many people may fail to notice the sophistication of Reeve’s film.  On top of that, the close ties this movie has with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet may also be missed.  In both stories, we have a young couple who try and love in each other under the most restrained and unforgiving of circumstances.  Their familial backgrounds squander any hope for friendship, let alone true love.  And despite these similarities, Romeo and Juliet and Let Me In each portray true love through two very different scopes, yet both can be called true love.

The love that occurs in Romeo and Juliet happens very suddenly in a “love at first sight” scenario.  Given their respective backgrounds, neither Romeo nor Juliet knew the other existed until the night of the Capulet party when Romeo first laid eyes on Juliet, which results in instant infatuation.  This sequence occurs in Act I Scene V at the Capulet house during the party of which Romeo attends without invitation.  When he first sees Juliet with Paris he is immediately struck by her beauty.  And for that matter, Romeo’s first comments about Juliet (although at this point, he doesn’t even know her name) are geared towards her gorgeous looks- “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright...Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear... Beauty too rich for use.”  He goes as far as question all of his prior judgments of love- “Did my heart love till now?”  Without evening talking to her, Romeo is certain he has found true love- mind you, all this happens within minutes of Romeo first laying eyes on Juliet.  As quickly as it all happens, Romeo’s infatuation with her turns into true love.  When discovering they are part of a long existing family feud, they defy their names and lovers.