Miesten Vuovo / Steam of life, FI-SE 2010 colour 81 min.

dir:  Mika Hotakainen, Joonas Berghall
pro: Joonas Berghäll, Oktober Oy
sc: Mika Hotakainen, Joonas Berghäll
ph: Heikki Färm F.S.C., Jani Kumpulainen F.S.C.
mus: Jonas Bohlin
ed: Timo Peltola
dis: Against Gravity

“Sauna” is the only Finnish word understood all over the world. In a laic society, saunas are relics of old cults and their history goes almost 3,5 thousands of years back. They are the places where spirit and body are being purified, where time stands still. In Finland, with only six million inhabitants, there are more than 2 millions of saunas. Finnish soldiers in Afghanistan lack them so much, that they’ve build ones in the middle of the desert. Film presents series of statements of men, for whom sauna became a confessional, place where they can tell their friends even the most intimate stories. Considering the Finns stereotype, sometimes their honesty comes as a shock. Finnish men can deliberate on their most intimate feelings with an ease, which Woody Allen’s characters could envy them. Total lack of taboo (regarding also the nakedness), the ability to cry, ruthlessness when it comes to analyzing ones emotions, soulful tenderness when they tell about their closest ones, all of this expose different face of Finland, very distant from the image of Finns as not very bright men of few words.

7th Planete Doc Review 2010 – Millennium Award
DocAviv 2010 – Grand Prix for Best Foreign Documentary