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Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (15)

A woman washes her back in a sauna

Anna Hints' Sundance-winning Estonian documentary about the healing properties of saunas, about women, community and relief.

In the darkness of smoke sauna, women share their innermost secrets and intimate experiences. Through a sense of communion, women wash off the shame trapped in their bodies and regain their strength.

The first documentary by an Estonian director to compete and win at Sundance, Smoke Sauna Sisterhood is a deeply moving, intimate and breath-taking approach to issues of trauma, healing, and community.

Filmed almost as if a painting, the camera is never intrusive, never mechanical. Rather, the images move as the smoke – lingering, wafting, suspended briefly before disappearing and reappearing. With an authentic voice and authority born of their own heritage, filmmaker Anna Hints has created a transformative experience of being human within a female body, showing women “as they are” with great emotional veracity and deep empathy.

Tagged with: Cinema New releases

Estonia 2023 dir Anna Hints 89min

Please note: this film contains references to sexual violence and domestic abuse.

Films can contain elements which some may find upsetting; from references to self-harm or suicide, to sexual violence or domestic abuse. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) provides guidance to audiences, to help them choose what’s right for them and avoid what’s not. For guidance, please click here and type the film title into the search bar.

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