Genre Character of the Week: Owen

Last weekend I got in a copy of Let Me In from the public library, and as a big fan of both the original Swedish film and novel, I was interested to see how an American re-make would look. Short story – I was pleasantly surprised and pretty creeped out; Long story – let me introduce you to this week’s genre character, Owen.

For those of you unfamiliar with the film, the story follows a twelve-year-old boy who meets, and falls in love with, a twelve-year-old vampire. Think of it like Twilight, but focusing instead on two younger children (although the vampire is much older than she appears), and significantly bloodier than the Stephanie Meyer supernatural romance series.

Set in 1983 in New Mexico, the film follows Owen (pictured left), a child of divorce with a big bully problem as he meets his new next door neighbour, Abby, a strange girl who walks through the snow covered streets barefoot and sometimes, in Owen’s words, smells weird.

The thing I like best about Owen is how heart-breakingly relatable he is to me, who as a twelve-year old in 1988, also dealt with my share of bullies (although not nearly as vicious as the ones in the film) and knew well the power of a sympathetic ear. Owen, played by Kodi Smith-McPhee (who I also really liked in The Road), comes across as a kid desperate for attention, and when Abby shows up, even being as stand-offish as she is, he finds in her a best friend.

The film does a remarkable job of showing Abby through Owen’s eyes, and by the end of the film I was definitely able to understand why they became such good friends.

If you’re in the mood for a more grown-up look at vampirism, this film is a remarkable watch.