‘Sauna’ is an eerie tale of two Swedish brothers in the 16th century who are part of a small Swedish and Russian team of former soldiers attempting to outline a border between the two countries after a long and bloody war.
While this film is classified as horror, this is accomplished mostly through the psychological turmoil that the two brother endure as they cope with the mistreatment of a young farmer’s daughter they encountered on the journey into a mostly uncharted swamp.
‘Sauna’ is creepy and mysterious, much in the same way most Asian horror films approach the concept of a “scary” movie. It’s all about the unknown and the unseen, not revealing much of anything until the end and even then keeping the pay-off low-key, allowing for the viewer’s mind to do most of the work for the film.
Erik (Ville Virtanen) is an experienced soldier with a long tally of bodies on his conscious from the war. Erik is well aware of the blood on his hands and the sins he will undoubtedly pay for in whatever afterlife lies in wait for him. His brother Knut (Tommi Eronen) is a much more timid and peaceful man, but the two of them are equally responsible for the young girl that may or may not have survived their encounter.
Director Antti-Jussi Annila’s vision for ‘Sauna’ comes through vividly, despite the occasionally slow pace. The landscape is bleak and gray, but beautifully mystic at the same time. Erik is a man who toils, internally and externally with his past actions and now wishes finds himself thrown into a metaphysical allegory by which he believes he can make some amends by saving another little girl from a mysterious force in a strange little village located dead in the center of this swamp.
The outcome is disturbing, metaphorical and to some extent open-ended to interpretation. ‘Sauna’ achieves it’s success by not succumbing to the typical formula of period horror. I recommend this movie for those who enjoyed ‘Crimson Rivers’ and films of a similar type.
[Overall: 3.5 stars out of 5]