‘Smoke Sauna Sisterhood’ Movie Review [AFI Fest 2023]: An Emotionally Stirring Documentary Sweats Out Pain And Fear
Photo from Ants Tammik/Alexandra Film
From Jeff Nelson
Anna Hints’ Smoke Sauna Sisterhood is a bold and resilient reflection of womanhood. It’s the type of documentary that doesn’t necessarily inform, but rather it holds a mirror up to society with rousing conversation that puts you in the shoes, or in this case the communal smoke sauna, of other people.
A group of women share the space of a smoke sauna in a vibrant forest in southern Estonia. Based on the traditional practice of the Võro community, they reveal their physical and emotional vulnerabilities, breaking free from the chains of society for a moment in time by opening a dialogue containing their greatest psychological wounds, as well as their most lively joys.
Despite Hints’ proximity to these women and the customs of the sauna, she remains at a distance, maintaining her focus on the narratives presented to her. Their early discussions surround perceptions regarding beauty, adolescence, and puberty. While these women discuss the struggles that come with such topics, it isn’t all bleak. Smoke Sauna Sisterhood also explores their sense of humor in their recollection of life’s frequently awkward nature.
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood doesn’t tell us how to feel, but the conversation certainly stirs emotion. Some of it feels overly structured in how the topics are organized, but themes of mortality, sexuality, and fear are undeniably gripping. Hints beautifully navigates this non-judgmental forum, where the silence in between words is just as powerful as the words themselves.
This documentary isn’t entirely religious in nature, although there’s a certain spirituality that feels like a cleansing of the soul. This is amplified by Eeter and Edvard Egilsson’s layered score of vocalizations, as well as cinematographer Ants Tammik’s use of light and steam. The majority of the women do not show their faces, placing emphasis on their bodies. However, their physical forms are never sexualized or exploited, rather serving as another form of vulnerability and fearlessness.
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood is an intimately soul-stirring documentary that welcomes the viewer as a guest into its world of physical and spiritual cleansing. Hints rightfully never suggests that the resolution of the world’s cruelty aimed toward women rests on the film or its subject, but she gives a peek into a space of female solidarity that offers a light of humanity that’s remarkably touching. The visual poetry that swirls amongst the smoke speaks to the Estonian community’s customs, as well as the emotional voyage these brazen women take us on.
Rating: 4/5
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood played AFI Fest 2023 on October 26th, 2023, before it hits theaters on November 24th, 2023.
