Border (2018)
November 18, 2018 10:27 PM - Subscribe

After a customs officer develops a strange attraction to the suspect she's investigating, the case's revelations soon call into question her entire existence.

Destined to be a cult classic, this absorbing second feature from Iran-born, Denmark-based director Ali Abbasi is based on a short story by “Let the Right One In” author John Ajvide Lindqvist, whose oeuvre and fandom is comparable to that of Stephen King and Anne Rice. -- Variety

‘Border’: Eva Melander Gives the Most Astonishing Performance of the Year By Completely Burying Herself. Melander gained 40 pounds and spent four hours in the makeup chair everyday. She explains why she committed to a daunting transformation. -- IndieWire

Director Ali Abbasi on how Cannes title 'Border' channels "the experience of being a minority" -- Screen Daily
posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto (13 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
I saw this today and found it breathtakingly beautiful. I want to watch it again so I can notice more details. Would love to know what others think.
posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto at 10:31 PM on November 18, 2018 [4 favorites]


I hadn't even heard of this, but the Wikipedia page makes it sound fascinating. Thanks for alerting me of its existence!
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:05 AM on November 19, 2018 [2 favorites]


This sounds great! I loved "Let the Right One In". Though "oeuvre and fandom is comparable to that of Stephen King and Anne Rice" gives me pause, because I don't tend to think of those two authors as sharing a sentence like that.
posted by nubs at 8:15 AM on November 19, 2018 [1 favorite]


Ursula Hitler and nubs, I hope you do watch it, I'd love to know your impressions. I actually haven't yet seen "Let The Right One In" and now it's on my list to watch ASAP.
posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto at 8:26 AM on November 19, 2018


I actually haven't yet seen "Let The Right One In" and now it's on my list to watch ASAP.

Get the Swedish one, and not the American remake (I actually haven't seen the American remake, but my understanding is that the Swedish one is a better film)
posted by nubs at 8:31 AM on November 19, 2018 [2 favorites]


Though "oeuvre and fandom is comparable to that of Stephen King and Anne Rice" gives me pause, because I don't tend to think of those two authors as sharing a sentence like that.

That sounds like a sentence written by a person who couldn't think of any other genre authors because they stopped paying even slight attention to genre fiction ~30 years ago. (But yeah Let The Right One In is amazing.)
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:45 AM on November 19, 2018 [2 favorites]


> nubs:
"I actually haven't yet seen "Let The Right One In" and now it's on my list to watch ASAP.

Get the Swedish one, and not the American remake (I actually haven't seen the American remake, but my understanding is that the Swedish one is a better film)"

It is. I watched the Swedish one when it came out and then the later American remake out of morbid curiosity,
posted by Samizdata at 6:24 AM on November 20, 2018 [2 favorites]


The american one is OK as far as american remakes go, but the Swedish one is superb.
posted by signal at 10:25 AM on December 12, 2018


Saw this in Chicago recently at the Gene Siskel Film Center. I think there is a lot of relation to issues of bodily autonomy for trans and intersex people. For instance, i see a parallel between the tail removal and childhood surgeries on intersex people.

By the way, I feel like I need to give at least a content warning on body search by authority figure when recommending the film. But difficult to give more warning than that without it becoming a spoiler.
posted by larrybob at 5:22 PM on January 4, 2019 [3 favorites]


Having seen both Let the Right One In (Swedish - 98/90%) and Let Me In (American, in English - 88/76%), it's fine to watch either. They both are beautiful films. And they are not as different in quality as it seems people are suggesting. The American version is much better if you speak English (and not Swedish) and find subtitles distracting.

I didn't know the source material to Border until I googled it near the end. This was a fascinating telling of this story.
posted by Pig Tail Orchestra at 12:23 PM on April 27, 2019 [1 favorite]


Just watched this at random on Netflix and thought it was extraordinary. Just looked up the actors photos and was stunned. Some of the best hair and makeup I've ever seen. What a movie!
posted by dobbs at 9:04 PM on June 11, 2019 [3 favorites]


Just watched this. I didn't know anything about it which was the perfect way to watch it. Not even what genre it is. Beautiful.
I loved Let The Right One In too. But the book of Let The Right One In was too much for me. I found it much more horrific than the film. Especially the sexual scenes.
This film had a lot of compassion for its characters.
posted by Zumbador at 1:00 PM on April 2, 2022 [1 favorite]


They fuck you up, your mum and dad.

What a film. Brava!
posted by flabdablet at 11:04 AM on May 23, 2022 [2 favorites]


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