Smoke Sauna Sisterhood
In the intimacy of Estonia's sacred saunas, ancient hymns to nature, birth and death are sung, and all the rituals of life intersect. Here, women tell stories they wouldn't tell anywhere else, and in the smoke of burning stones, the female condition is revealed in all its violence and power.
| Director | Anna Hints |
| Actor | L'équipe de Tënk |
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The dimness of the sauna gives way to the brightness of the snow. A woman breaks the ice, her muscles and face tense as she strikes the frozen lake's surface with all her strength. Rage seems to consume her. From the very start of the film, we're warned: the beauty of the images does nothing to soften the raw power—and pain—of these women. The choice to focus solely on their sweating bodies, without showing their faces, allows access to their most intimate stories and invites us to confront the rawness of their narratives. Here, in the confined space of the sauna, in this timeless closeness, everything buried deep within the body can be spoken of—from birth to death. Love, sex, family. Wounds as much as victories. Amid the forest, across the changing seasons, we witness what feels like a ritual of trance, even exorcism. A film as powerful as it is liberating!
Éva Tourrent
Filmmaker and Tënk France's Artistic Director
-
Français
1h29
Language: Français -
English
1h29
Language: English
Subtitles: English
- Année 2023
- Pays Estonia, France, Iceland
- Durée 89
- Producteur Alexandra Film, Kepler 22 Production, Ursus Parvus
- Langue Estonian
- Sous-titres French, English
- Résumé court In the intimacy of Estonia's sacred saunas, women tell stories they wouldn't tell anywhere else.
- Mention festival International Documentary Grand Prize · FIPADOC 2024
- Ordre 1
The dimness of the sauna gives way to the brightness of the snow. A woman breaks the ice, her muscles and face tense as she strikes the frozen lake's surface with all her strength. Rage seems to consume her. From the very start of the film, we're warned: the beauty of the images does nothing to soften the raw power—and pain—of these women. The choice to focus solely on their sweating bodies, without showing their faces, allows access to their most intimate stories and invites us to confront the rawness of their narratives. Here, in the confined space of the sauna, in this timeless closeness, everything buried deep within the body can be spoken of—from birth to death. Love, sex, family. Wounds as much as victories. Amid the forest, across the changing seasons, we witness what feels like a ritual of trance, even exorcism. A film as powerful as it is liberating!
Éva Tourrent
Filmmaker and Tënk France's Artistic Director
-
Français
Duration: 1h29Language: Français1h29 -
English
Duration: 1h29Language: English
Subtitles: English1h29
- Année 2023
- Pays Estonia, France, Iceland
- Durée 89
- Producteur Alexandra Film, Kepler 22 Production, Ursus Parvus
- Langue Estonian
- Sous-titres French, English
- Résumé court In the intimacy of Estonia's sacred saunas, women tell stories they wouldn't tell anywhere else.
- Mention festival International Documentary Grand Prize · FIPADOC 2024
- Ordre 1
