Review of Sauna (2008) by Jason D — 23 Jan 2010
Gorgeously filmed in color so dimly shot it seems like black and white, Antti-Jussi Annila sets his horror story in late 16th century Finland.
A long war between Swedish Finland and the Russian Czar has ended and Capt. Eerik and his younger brother, Knut are dispatched by the Swedish crown to draw a new border. They meet with a thoughtful Russian captain, Semenski, and his handful of men and start traversing a spooky swamp to search for any villages and determine who they will pay taxes to -- the Russian Czar or Swedish crown. And, as the saying goes, all hell breaks loose.
Ville Virtanen playing the lead, Capt. Eerik, is a stand out. He's at times surly and then surprisingly gentle. It takes a while to realize that he is possibly insane with guilt over all the killings he's committed in the name of war. It doesn't hurt that he bears a passing resemblance to another mercurial actor, Hugh Laurie.
What's ultimately being said through the storyline is likely to fly over the heads of most non-foreign film buffs. Suffice it to say, guilt, purgatory and ghosts are nothing new in foreign cinema.
A fine job of creeping the audience out Finnish style.
This review of Sauna (2008) was written by Jason D on 23 Jan 2010.
Sauna has generally received mixed reviews.
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