Review of Sauna (2008) by Simo R — 31 Oct 2008

Great filmography, nice music and heart-gripping (sound and otherwise) effects. I'd love to read the script for this thing to know whether it was all taken into the movie.

The trailer and the information I was given before hand were misguiding. Annila dissed the "cheap scares" of most horror movies. In my opinion, Sauna used shock tactics too (more than enough for me as I'm no horror fan).

The flawed characters really pulled me into the story, which itself was very "flawed". Many questions are left unanswered even in the end and it causes one to think about it a bit more. Maybe about the characters feelings, motives or the film's symbolism.

Then again one might think about the totally unexplained things, such as, what makes the sauna the kind of place it is. This is where the movie leaves the audience most displeased and lost. And maybe that's what makes the movie even more scary for me.

Sauna, in my books, is about "sin", purification and the feeling of guilt. It's at it's best when it's dealing with the character's thoughts about their own sinfulness.

One doesn't really care as much about how Knut thinks about Eerik, as to what they think of each other... what is similar, what different in them. Is idealistic, civilisided and good-hearted Knut really so different from the grim and violent Eerik?

P.s. I got really scared from time to time and am home right now with a "minor" dislike of dark.