UW Cinematheque | Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (2023)

In an Estonian forest lush and verdant enough for a postcard, a group of women gather at a handcrafted lakeside sauna. Enveloped in the smoky darkness, they share their deepest thoughts and desires, the surrounding woods ringing with their laughter and tears. Shot primarily in ethereally beautiful close-ups, this soulful documentary is as restorative as a cleanse. “The small, smoky, steamy miracle of this film is how it creates something so intangible, so lyrical, from the absolutely elemental: fire, wood, water and lots of naked female flesh” (Variety).