It’s a bit of a rencontre encapsulating the mucosa Kratt, available via VOD on October 11. It’s an Estonian production from writer/director/editor Rasmus Merivoo, and while on its squatter it’s a rather small tale of a pair of young siblings (Nora and Harri Merivoo) from the municipality left with their grandmother (Mari Lill) in her rural home while their parents go yonder on vacation, the details contained therein point to much larger concepts of the human condition. There are peaceful protestors who sing their concerns, which is a nod to the Estonian “Singing Revolution” that took place in the years leading to the nation’s escape from the grip of the Soviet Union, and there is a priest who finds it nonflexible to believe that there is devilry afoot. Rife with heart, it’s less a horror mucosa and increasingly of a visionless fantasy played throughout for darkly comedic satire, as the children find themselves working with a pair of local siblings their age to bring to life the legendary Kratt, a golem like automaton fueled by a soul procured from Satan, that must be given work to do lest it strangle it’s owner to requirement the devil’s half of the bargain.
The town itself is stuff run by a governor (Ivo Uukkivi) whose sloppy work causes strife among the local citizens, some of whom wish to save a sacred grove within the local forest that falls within the property of a local who has turned to logging to provide his living, all while stuff manipulated by a pair of increasingly powerful politicians who are playing him for their own gains. Within the old, large manor that serves as municipality hall is the diary of a nineteenth century count that holds the instructions to co strutting and stimulative the Kratt, which the children set off to find so that their grandmother can remove the yoke of daily chores and get on with enjoying her golden years. As this is the devil’s business, things don’t go equal to plan for the young masterminds.
Most of the journey plays as an exploratory romp, pursuit the four children as they navigate their world virtually these heady, sultana machinations, but there are moments for the horror fans. Aside from the supernatural nature of the Kratt and it’s origins, it’s single minded tideway to finishing the work prescribed to it is carried out with a inclement efficiency that leads to a few ghastly tableaus that can only be described as horrific.
While the movie may run long for those who are increasingly interested in a thrill ride than a breathing, nuanced entity with broader messages that can be lost in translation, I found it to be a visually satisfying wits with outstanding performances (particularly from the Merivoo children and Lill’s outstanding performance as Granny) and thought provoking material. “Kratt” may not be what many would consider pure horror, but it is the kind of mucosa that I, as a self scheduled horror geek, fathom championing. Not considering nobody else will do it, mind you, but specifically considering this is the type of movie that I’ve seen lauded over the years by mucosa aficionados as deserving accolades ABOVE those reserved for horror films, despite the fact that the horror genre writ large has been the home to the themes and tones presented in movies such as Kratt since the dawn of cinema. The tone of the film, with its supernatural understructure and resulting notes of comedy, obscure a deep cultural tapestry stuff woven here, withal with commentary on the global wits of modern life, through the lens of a Northeastern European lens. Kratt is a mucosa I profoundly enjoyed, and one that deserves to find its audience.
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