Steam of Life

2010

81 mins

Directed by Joonas Berghäll, Mika Hotakainen
86%
Documentary

Documentary exploring Finland's sauna ritual, and the men that sit and steam in them. Selected as the Finnish entry for Best... More

Documentary exploring Finland's sauna ritual, and the men that sit and steam in them. Selected as the Finnish entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2010 Academy Awards.

Directors Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen visit saunas all over Finland from lovingly-made dedicated steam rooms to converted trailers and phone booths. Then they sit in them with their owners and chew the fat. Something about the saunas, or the nakedness of their occupants, sees the men talking openly and honestly about life's joys and tragedies.

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Steam of Life | Ratings & Reviews

86_%386 reviews
Audience score rating

"The directors might have invented fictional stories set in a steambath, but they felt it would be more immediate to find a variety of Finnish men who were willing to share some of their most intimate memories. The results are affecting..."

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