When a movie opens in the late 1800s with a field of bloodied corpses and then cuts to a little person choking out two people, you know you’re in for a wild ride, and while Estonian dark comedy “Kratt” had some lulls, it definitely isn’t lacking in the weird, wild, or blood department.
Written and Directed by Rasmus Merivoo, “Kratt” tells the story of tween siblings, Mia (Nora Merivoo) and Kevin (Harri Merivoo), who are left to stay with their grandmother (Mari Lill) on her farm without their smartphones. After Mia has a meltdown about her YouTube followers and how if she can’t upload new content, she might as well be dead, Grandma decides to give them a taste of rural living. After a day of chores on the farm, the two are miserable, but a bedtime story helps lay the groundwork for their activities in the coming days.
The grandmother tells the two of the time in her youth when she set out to find the Count’s journal, a mysterious book that describes how to make a Kratt – a magical creature from old Estonian mythology who will do whatever its master says. Interests piqued, the kids set out to succeed where their grandmother failed.
While on a trip to the library with local twins August (Roland Treima) and Juuli (Elise Tekko) in search of internet access, the group stumbles upon the Count’s journal and the directions on how to build a Kratt. The group returns to the farmhouse and assembles the Kratt using various objects from around the farm before sneaking into a blood bank to retrieve the blood needed to trade with the devil for a soul.
But as the kids set out to make their deal with the devil in hopes of getting the Kratt to do their newly learned farm chores, Grandma uncovers their handy work and, with a chainsaw in hand, looks to undo it. Unfortunately, right as the deal is being made, the makeshift Kratt statue falls on the grandmother piercing her skull with a scythe and ultimately turning her into the Kratt.
It’s here where the film really takes a turn and is less about a group of kids bored without their cellphones and becomes a quirky story about this creature and the tasks it carries out. And the comedic aspect of the film goes from “haha” to “oh my god, did I just see that?” with gags ranging from Grandma eating a ton of sauerkraut and chugging milk so she can light a massive fart to send her flying through the sky like a rocket to the governor of the village standing outside his manor to do the helicopter with his penis while all the villagers film him with their cell phones. When I say “Kratt” is wild and weird, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Beyond the folklore, what put “Kratt” on my radar was the horror element, and while “Kratt” is by no means a horror film, despite some services labeling it as such, it does have some horror elements, the gore in particular. Starting, of course, with the scythe through Grandma’s head and then progressing to a scene that involves a trio of politicians and some pizza. And with Grandma at the heart of it, it’s just that much more disturbing.
“Kratt” is an entertaining flick that isn’t necessarily laugh-out-loud funny, but its humor will have you laughing to yourself and wondering what you just watched. My only criticism of the film is that there are some subplots that I think get in the way of the overall Kratt plot and early progression of the film. That said, even some of those side plots have some amusing moments, so I can’t be too mad about it, other than it delays us getting to the Kratt itself.
Once “Kratt” gets going, it’s a fun ride. If you’re in the mood for something a bit more off-beat and silly with some decent gore, I’d recommend checking it out. The film premiered in 2020, and after a successful run on the global film festival circuit, is now available in North America on several digital and cable platforms, including iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, iNDemand, and DISH. The film is in Estonian with English subtitles.
