Le Mangeur d’âmes

The opening images set a brooding tone: a man on foot, gazing at dark, scarcely inhabited mountains. He’s about to investigate a string of child disappearances and will soon cross paths with a woman looking into murders in the same, intensely secretive village. These intertwined cases keep turning up references to a horrific local legend, the supernatural “soul eater”. But wasn’t this just a myth parents used to scare the young? Co-directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo have a knack for mixing diverse sub-genres within the horror, thriller and fantastique realms. Here, adapting a popular novel by Alexis Laipsker, they skilfully manipulate a classic hesitation between differing interpretations of the unfolding, gruesome events: the result of psychosis or demonic possession? The situation gets even more complicated when references to drugs and Internet pornography surface… Shot in the Vosges in Northeastern France – allowing an abandoned building, once a sanatorium, to play a major part – The Soul Eater plunges us into an oppressive atmosphere and explores all its implications. The casting is especially diverting: Paul Hamy, well known for his work with F.J. Ossang and João Pedro Rodrigues, shares the screen with Virginie Ledoyen and Sandrine Bonnaire. (International Film Festival Rotterdam)