Aist (Igor Sergeyev) is a factory worker and photographer whose favorite past time is collecting words, songs, and other little ditties from his people — the disappearing culture of the Merjans, who were a Finno-Ugric tribe who lived in the regions of the modern Russian cities Rostov, Kostroma, Jaroslavl, and Vladimir, and were assimilated by the Slavs and the Russians.
After purchasing a pair of buntings on a hunch they would be useful to him in some mysterious way, he meets with Miron (Yuri Tsurilo), his boss and friend who informs him that his wife Tanya (Yuliya Aug) died the previous night. He wants Aist to help him provide her with a proper funeral in the traditional Merja style. At Miron's home, they wash her body together and then set out on their journey by car. Along the way, the new widower follows the ancient Merja custom of "Smoking" — sharing intimate details of their marriage and sexual habits. Miron recalls pouring vodka over Tanya's body as prelude to love-making. Harvesting his memories is a way of handling grief and letting go of the past.
Aist recalls the Merja erotic custom of twining colored threads in the pubic hair of young brides as an example of his fascination with the pagan rituals of the past, a ritual that is repeated on the dead body. While his friend focuses on Tanya, he dredges up his uneasy relationship with his father (Vikto Sukhorukov), a poet and oddball. The two men stop in a town to purchase firewood which they take to a lake which Miron and Tanya visited on their honeymoon. The ritual of turning her body into a burning pyre takes place slowly and without many words. On the return home, there is a shocking revelation and a surprising deed by the buntings who have patiently waited for their performance in this drama about death and the rituals that surround it.
Silent Souls is directed by Aleksei Fedorchenko. It boldly takes on a subject that many are afraid to face: the strange brew of feelings, memories, and disappointments that are part and parcel of the grieving process. Aist serves as narrator of the drama and provides a near perfect role model of what it means to just be fully present with someone who is mourning the loss of a loved one. A final glimpse of the Merja vision of life is mentioned on the journey: "In this land there are only two gods: love and water." Both are honored in Silent Souls.
Special features on the DVD include the U.S. theatrical trailer.
