Steam of Life

dir. Joonas Berghäll, Mika Hotakainen / 2010 / Finland, Sweden / 81min.

Film without English subtitles

The film travels through Finland and the camera joins men in many different saunas to let us hear touching stories about love, death, birth and friendship.

Naked Finnish men sit in the sauna and speak straight from their heart. In the warmth of rusty stoves these men cleanse themselves both physically and mentally. The film travels through Finland and the camera joins men in many different saunas to let us hear touching stories about love, death, birth and friendship. In all of its simplicity the camera records the landscapes, saunas and men in almost magical pictures. The presence of the characters and the depth of the emotion reaches the limit where it is almost intolerable for the viewer to watch. This film reveals the naked souls of these men exceptionally intimately and creates a poetic portrayal of Finnish men.

duration:
81 min
country / year of production:
Finland, Sweden / 2010
director:
Joonas Berghäll, Mika Hotakainen
cinematography:
Heiki Farm, Jani Kumpulainen
producer:
Joonas Berghäll / Oktober, Yle TV2, Rode Orm Film
selected festivals and awards:
2010 – Oscar Nominee®: The Best Foreign Language Film, 2010 – European Film Awards Nominee, 2010 – MDAG Warsaw: Millennium Award, 2010 – Doc Avic Tel Aviv: The Best Foreign Language Documentary Film, 2010 – Visions du Réel Nyon: Ecumenical Jury Award, 2010 – DOK Leipzig: Silver Dove, 2010 – Tampere FF: Rosto Jarva Award, Audience Award, 2010 – Hot Docs Toronto
sections:
20 LEGENDARY FILMS FOR MDAG'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY!
tags:
psychology relations

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