If you build it (and steal a soul), a Kratt will come. That may not seem like the premise for a family film, but in a weird way that’s what the Estonian film Kratt is. In Estonian legend, a Kratt is a creature made from disparate parts that the devil will imbue with life, if you pay his price. It will then do all your labor for you, chanting “give me work!” Writer/director Rasmus Erivoo channels that folklore by way of an ’80s Spielberg film to create something dark but oddly charming. There’s a troubled family trying to find their way back together, a reverence for nature, some digs at social media, and just a tiny hint of Satanism.
Except that here, like in the brilliant Errementari, the devil hangs around rather casually. Oh, you still don’t want to contend with Hell, but the real evils lie in bureaucracy and human indifference. And quite possibly in spending your time influencing and crafting the perfect social media message instead of doing something about the injustices you see.
Making their film debuts, Erivoo’s children Nora and Harri star as Mia and Kevin, two kids addicted to their cellphones. Their parents drop them off with Dad’s (Marek Tammets) mother, while they go off on a retreat to find themselves and each other. Grandma (Mari Lill) knows nothing about the internet, but does know about putting kids to work tending chickens. You can practically see Mia texting “Worst. Summer. Ever.” the second she steps outside. Or she would, if Dad and Mom hadn’t taken her cellphone with them.
Though the adults in the village struggle to save what they call “a sacred grove,” they’re not quite in tune with the old ways. The Governor (Ivo Uukkivi) doesn’t realize that the book he’s giving to the library has a pentagram on the cover and holds many dark secrets. When a bored Mia finds it, she knows immediately what it is. Grandma told her the story of the Kratt, and how a couple centuries back a nobleman had created one. But the instructions were lost… until now.
Of course kids are impulsive, and won’t heed the warning that you have to give a Kratt work to do or it will strangle its maker. Of course they’ll achieve the spell but something will go wrong. And of course Grandma will get caught up in the middle of it.
The plotting gets somewhat satirical, but the barbs poke gently. It’s not terribly gory, but Erivoo doesn’t shy away from the consequences of the Kratt’s actions, either. But Kratt also has its share of fart jokes, and a meaty role for Lill to play many, many tones. Some of the pacing may depend on understanding an Estonian sensibility — which, I admit, I don’t know much about. However, it’s interesting to note that Estonians occasionally refer to PCs as Kratts, which makes the social media thing a little sharper a dig.
It’s not quite cute, but Kratt is charming. Younger kids might find some of the dark humor a bit disturbing, but you can assure them it will all work out all right. Sort of. Not everybody gets a happy ending, of course, but not everybody deserves one. Sometimes Kratt happens.
Kratt is available on VOD starting Tuesday, October 11, 2022.
