As a 25-year war between Russia and Sweden concludes, two brothers who are part of an effort to outline new border accords become undone by their actions, and their mistreatment of a young woman during their journey.
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Title: Sauna (2008)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Ville Virtanen | ... | Eerik | |
| Tommi Eronen | ... | Knut | |
| Viktor Klimenko | ... | Semenski | |
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Rain Tolk | ... | Rogosin |
| Kari Ketonen | ... | Musko | |
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Sonja Petäjäjärvi | ... | Poika |
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Vilhelmiina Virkkunen | ... | Tytär |
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Taisto Reimaluoto | ... | Isäntä |
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Ismo Kallio | ... | Kylänvanhin |
| Kati Outinen | ... | Eukko | |
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Dick Idman | ... | Roukkula |
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Ivo Kubecka | ... | Munkki |
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Elena Leeve | ... | Isännän tyttären ääni (voice) |
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Elena Spirina | ... | Rogosinin äidin tuutulaulu (voice) |
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Peter Holmlund | ... | Ruotsalaisten tulkki |
The Russo-Swedish War (1590-1595) has just ended, and new borders are drawn between Finland (under Swedish rule) and the Tsardom of Russia. Brothers Knut and Eerik are tasked with marking the border. They discover a mysterious village, built in the middle of a swamp. Within the village is a sauna, and the brothers hope it may wash away their sins. Written by Dimos I
Having premiered his debut feature "Jade Warrior" at Toronto in 2006, A.J. Annila returned with his second film "Sauna", yet another blend of two unexpected genres. He was originally approached to make the movie as a teen slasher-comedy, but thankfully the producers had enough faith in him to make a serious horror movie that would appeal to both the art house crowd and die hard horror fans.
Sauna follows a group of Swedish and Russian soldiers who are assigning new borders after a decades long war between the two countries has ended. In this group are two brothers; Erik, the lifelong soldier who keeps a running tally of the innocent people he's killed, and Knut, the younger more pacifist brother who is part of the group because he is an expert mapmaker. After an unexpected encounter with a farmer and his daughter, the two are haunted by unshakable guilt as they continue with the expedition. The soldiers find a small isolated village in the very center of a large swamp, an eerie place where no children have been born in years and the old do not die. It seems almost as if God has forgotten them.
With the discovery of the village and its solitary sauna, Annila builds on the horror aspects of the film and presents some genuinely scary images. The review on the TIFF website says the film recalls both Tarkovsky and Eli Roth, and I agree; Sauna is at once contemplative and terrifying. It raises questions about morality and guilt, and at the same time has scenes that are as scary as a Japanese ghost horror. The acting from Ville Virtanen and Tommi Eronen, who played the brothers, was superb. The cinematography was was also really beautiful. Overall, I feel like this is one of the best horrors of the last few years and it is highly recommended. 8/10