Review of Sauna (2008) by Miikka H — 27 Oct 2008
Despite it's problems, "Sauna" is easily one of the best horror films of all time. On the other hand that doesn't require much considering the current state of the genre in the US or Asia for example. In the middle of all the Saws and teenage ghost stories it is great to see a puzzling, metaphorical and slowly evolving feature.
Annila's skills as a director are as undeniable as his sense of style. This combined with strong and beautiful cinematography (already a trademark in modern Finnish cinema) creates a very effective atmosphere.
Ville Virtanen as one of the brothers finally delivers a quality performance by making his character a badass but not in a ridiculous way. Viktor Klimenko is an even bigger surprise, great job all the way.
The story lacks something, and the pace and rhythm are a bit off. This is the biggest problem of the film, otherwise there are only minor scruffs which don't amount to much.
"Sauna" wasn't as thrilling or groundbreaking as I hoped, but definitely a remarkable effort. No similar films have been made in Finland before.
This review of Sauna (2008) was written by Miikka H on 27 Oct 2008.
Sauna has generally received mixed reviews.
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