Women bare their bodies and souls in this excellent intimate, inward-looking Estonian documentary set in a private smoke sauna.

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Pedro Almodovar once said that a group of women talking is where fiction starts.  However, there is nothing fictive about Smoke Sauna Sisterhood as several women bare their bodies and souls in a private smoke sauna in Estonia. 

It is the country’s official submission to the 2024 Oscars for Best International Feature, and if the stars align, it may not just land a nomination in that category, but possibly also a nod for Best Documentary Feature. 

Directed by Anna Hints, Smoke Sauna Sisterhood doesn’t feel like a first feature; in fact, it feels like the work of an experienced filmmaker who has made authenticity and intimacy the very embodiment of her craft. 

With wide cutaway shots of nature acting as a breather from time to time, the film spends most of its duration in the natural glow of flesh amidst the sounds of splashing water and body scrubbing. 

“It took me a long time before I started to feel beautiful.”

There are a lot of close-ups but we don’t quite see the faces as often as we would like; no matter though as it is the cacophony of voices that lures you into this secret space of confessions. 

In this safe space, some women talk about their current circumstances, as wives, as unmarried women; others recall memories of the past, some traumatic that involve sexual assault.  They lament the fate of women but also find the courage to be one in the company of fellow sisters. 

Smoke Sauna Sisterhood is one of the year’s most reflective, inward-looking works about the female experience.  Despite the nudity, which some might find rather explicit in its casualness, the film never feels exploitative. 

The film’s structure may feel a tad repetitive, but at only 90 minutes long, it remains engaging—and more crucially—filled with boundless empathy. 

Grade: B+

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