By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Annti-Jussi Annila
Starring: Kari Ketonen | Rain Tolk | Sonja Petäjäjärvi | Tommi Eronen | Viktor Klimenko | Ville Virtanen
Country: czech_republic, finland
Year: 2008
Running time: 85
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124394/
Michael says: “This Finnish horror story touches on so many themes that it threatens to overwhelm, but somehow, writer Iiro Küttner manages to weave them all together and along with director Antti-Jussi Annila manages to create an elegant monster movie with themes of guilt, redemption, and the lasting results of war. At the close of a 25-year-long war between Russia and Sweden, two brothers lead an expedition to draw a new border and end up lost in a mysterious village in the middle of a swamp. Older brother Eerik is a ruthless, almost sadistic warrior who thrived during wartime and must now face facts the skills that allowed him to excel during a time of violence are a liability in times of peace. Younger brother Knut is an academic, whose carnal lusts are exposed in the presence of an innocent peasant girl and haunt him on their journey. Along for the ride are the Russian contingent, including Ivan, who condemned his mother as a witch as a child, and the Captain, whose got his own lusts to deal with, focused on Knut. The otherworldly, demonic presence is represented by filth, and the imagery is strong and striking, with black ichor rather than blood pouring across faceless victims.
“Visually, SAUNA is arresting and atmospheric, with a final monster that’s as striking as it is chilling. It’s not afraid to follow its themes through to the unpleasantly bitter end, even when you think it’s going to pull back and allow some relief. There are probably only a handful of film actors available in Finland, because I found it amusing that both Ville Virtanen (Eerik) and Tommi Eronen (Knut) appeared one of the few Finnish films I have seen, the lesbian baby flick, PRODUCING ADULTS. We saw SAUNA at the Sunday Eye Opener, and it certainly inspired a wide range of opinions, with some people being far more negative, and others quite enjoying it. Unfortunately, it’s skipping a theatrical release in the U.S. so you won’t be able to see it on the big screen. 4 cats.”