Where Souls Go (Kuhu Põgenevad Hinged)

Ahh, Satanists. Definitely a favorite topic for teenagers, Satanism’s dark, mysterious appeal to adolescent angst is undeniable. Estonian filmmaker Rainer Sarnet’s Where Souls Go taps into that fascination in his tale about the unlikely friendship between two teenage girls, Ann and Maya, as they navigate the complicated world of adults.

Ann is an odd one- at first, she gives off girl next door vibes, a nice, quiet kid with a mother who seems a little too self-involved to really pay much heed to her teen daughter’s needs. It doesn’t help that mom has remarried a guy who is basically a creep who kinda sorta maybe wants to bang his stepdaughter, or that he and mom are constantly at the edge of breaking up, or that mom is about to give birth to Maya’s step-brother and is acting crazy hormonal. Resentful at this new version of life she’s been thrust into, Maya just wants things to go back to the way they were- so he pokes around online, finds a Satanic website, and basically sends off a little prayer hoping to get rid of her future brother (as big sisters do.)

Maya is your basic teen rebel, skipping school, dressing in official punk rock attire, dating a cool death metal rocker / Satanist type named Seth. Naturally, everything about her fascinates Ann, and the two oddballs with little in common become fast friends. When Ann’s step-brother is born with a life-threatening heart issue, however, she is understandably spooked, regretting her pact with Lucifer, hoping she can fix things before it’s too late.

Where Souls Go is a hard film to pin down. It’s kind of a buddy film, kind of a character portrait of teen innocence, kind of a family drama. It never really fleshes any of this out enough for you to decide what the film’s main theme is, but that’s kind of the point. It doesn’t try to be scary, or funny, or anything in particular- it’s just a non-judgemental look at teenage life in Estonia, for better or for worse. Entertaining, quirky, and nicely shot, Where Souls Go sheds light on modern life in another part of the world which, after all is said and done, ‘aint that different from our own.

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