Miesten vuoro

Normally taciturn Finnish men, bare their bodies, and metaphorically their souls, in several different sauna settings.Thus we discover that they are are really all too human. Something that their body shape has already made all too clear. The stories are interesting,if often gloomy. The saunas are entertainingly diverse in nature, and ingenuity. A bear provides one scene to lift the mood. The film could do with more such moments. The scenery is evocative. Cold,white and distant at times, yet it makes you want to explore it, as long as you are well protected from its bite. A hot sauna is just what is needed to warm yourself after such a trip. I guess this is why emotional landscapes can be laid bare in the steam as well.

The documentary "Steam of Life" is not a typical Hollywood documentary and I felt it was very informative. Overall, I felt this film had a very good meaning, but I found it very hard to pay attention. The opening scene shows an elderly couple sitting in a sauna washing and hitting each other with small branches. I assumed this film was going to be about this one particular couple and their sentimental feelings toward their sauna. It said they have been washing each other for over 50 years and I believed it was going to be a love story and their connection towards the sauna. As usual, I was wrong in thinking I knew how a Nordic film was going to turn out. There were many different scenes of different groups, especially men talking about their problems and life stories. This film was dedicated to Finnish men and tries to demonstrate how saunas are a huge cultural aspect in Finland. The major themes used through out the documentary were men and nature. As mentioned earlier there were many different scenes where there were only men in the sauna. In fact, there is only one scene where there is a woman portrayed through out the documentary. Every scene in these saunas demonstrated men opening up to each other and discussing problems they have had. Usually men are portrayed in Nordic films as very masculine, but this film portrayed men as very sentimental towards past experiences. After doing some research on saunas in the Finnish culture, I found people tend to open up more while they are in the saunas. Maybe it's because they are very comfortable from the hot steam along with the cold beer or alcoholic beverage they drink. I say this only because almost every scene showed each member drinking an alcoholic beverage. Another important theme portrayed in the movie was the idea of nature. Almost every scene showed saunas being out in the middle of the woods or on an island. The Finnish culture, as do many Nordic countries include nature in their daily lives. The director really tries to incorporate this idea of nature into the documentary and I feel nature and the location of the saunas help the people in the movie open up. Being alone or with a group of friends out in the middle of the wilderness, makes one feel very comfortable, helping them open up about their feelings. Even though there are a couple of scenes in the city, the director incorporates snow and darkness to demonstrate this theme of nature. Through out the documentary, there is never a time where the camera is rotating. I found this to be very interesting, because there are very few times where I have scene this. The director uses the Dogme 95 technique of close-ups on the character's faces. This is especially scene when one is opening up to the other; giving the viewer a clear retrospect of how the character is feeling. The director also uses this technique when showing those who are listening to the disturbed man's problems. As I was watching these scenes, I almost felt as if I was sitting right next to them and I really felt for each character. Nudity also plays a significant role throughout the documentary. Every scene in the saunas has each character naked. Furthering my research on the documentary, I learned even the camera crew was naked while filming. I found this to be a very interesting and useful technique. The idea of having everyone naked, including the camera crew, would make one feel less comfortable, creating one to open up more. It's hard to think these characters are not acting, but just going about a discussion. I don't believe I would be able to open up, yet alone be filmed naked in a film. I mentioned earlier how this film was very informative. I say this only because; this would not be a typical Hollywood documentary. Most Hollywood documentaries are very formal and give a layout of facts about a certain subject. This documentary tried to make the viewer understand the Finnish culture without the incorporation of facts. Also, in many Hollywood documentaries, there is usually a narrator in the film. This film did not have a narrator and I found this to be very strange. I understand why the director didn't use a narrator, but it was just something I wasn't accustomed to. I give the film a 5 out of 10 rating, because I didn't find it to be very interesting. Also, I feel the film could've gotten the point across in a shorter length. I understood the whole meaning of film after the fifth scene and I feel the director dragged the film on way too long.

Finns themselves tend to believe (both men and women) in a stereotype, that men really do not discuss about their feelings, at least not with other men. This movie proves the opposite, and can encourage those with difficulties to open themselves to their friends and maybe, just maybe lower the suicide numbers in Finland.

http://tinyurl.com/36d8jum

and even more important, to help the next generations to talk more. this is a movie, that no sound person leaves without tears in their eyes.

the stories seem first 'boring', and a bit slow. but if you let yourself slow down and understand, that these are true stories by true men, and focus on how these guys are sharing their stories almost without noticing the camera at all, you will learn a lot about 'man' and men in particular...

I had heard about this movie before, so I knew what to expect. But still it managed to make a clean cut like a hot knife through butter.

Being a Finnish ex-pat in Thailand it brought back memories, raw and uncut. And in some strange way made me feel proud of my heritage. Yes, I have built a sauna here in tropics.

Excellent. No corners cut. But I won't give it a 10 because of the one thing that is missing: Joy. That too is shared inside the confines of the sanctity of the sauna.

That said, I truly hope there won't be a sequel. The turn is up and it was well used.

Saunas have long been seen as a central tenant of Finnish culture and are often a significant marker of a cultural identity for Finland. In Steam of Life, a film directed by Joonas Berghall and Mika Hotakainen, is a Finnish documentary film that builds and explores the relationship between men and the ubiquitous Finnish Sauna. Steam of Life is a film could not have come from any other country as Berghall and Hotakainen use a unique documentary storytelling technique; most of the movie takes place almost entirely in or around saunas. It is almost as if this movie was a compilation of short films; a series of standalone stories with the connecting fiber that runs through them being that each small movie revolves around a life story told by men from within saunas. There is no continuity between each of these small segments, but individual story each packs an emotional punch as the men recount their personal stories. Despite this unlikely premise and the unconventional storytelling technique, this movie succeeds with flying colors.

Saunas are often a place of quiet, there is little to do except sit in the heat and perform ritualistic actions such as pouring water over hot coals. All the vigorous action such as the cleaning by dousing happens at the end of the sauna session. There is little else for one to do but sit, think, and reflect. The sauna is an intimate setting; one is often by his or herself or with one other person and it is always done naked. Yet this intimate setting is often done with members of the same sex, removing any sort of sexual coloring or influence. What is left is the perfect environment that fosters reflection and makes for a situation that allows one to share their troubles and past woes without judgment and to build relationships.

Like the naked bodies the audience is subjected to within the sauna, the stories that come along with are often just as ugly and not pleasing to bear witness too. They are both exposed in body and emotion. Something else that comes along with this that won't take a viewer long to notice is how the movie features almost exclusively men. Just before the credits, the film states that Steam of Life is dedicated to Finnish men, a sort of tribute. About midway through the movie, an army officer spills that he finds it hard to find time to feel weak or sorry, it is seen as a weakness in his environment. This can be extrapolated to a larger theme of the film. There are certain expectations that come along with gender, generally men are expected to be strong and brave and it is a sign of weakness to show emotion or sadness. This movie attempts to break down this barrier; the sauna is used as a small window of time that allows men to dwell on their troubles and share their woes without feeling as judged by society, or without their manhood questioned. Besides, when else would one share such stories except for a sauna?

The directors like to include wide-angle still shots, with the characters slowly moving across or away from the camera. While this may seem like rudimentary cinematic techniques, there is no camera movement or common techniques like using a hand-held camera—this would do a disservice to the beautiful cinematography and the themes of the movie. The focus is not excitement or the artistic techniques, but instead the men's stories. As I mentioned previously, the cinematography in Steam of Life beautiful-- Yes, most of the movie is inside of saunas (I had no idea there was so much variability in the settings of saunas: tents, small phone booths in fields, gyms, trailers, small cabins…-etc) but when the movie moves outside of the cramped rooms the viewer is treated to a visual feast which is the Finnish countryside. This also showcases another key cultural marker of Finland—the importance of nature and lakes in defining Finish identity.

US viewers might be at first disgusted and turned away when looking at this film at a glance, we are not used to seeing full nudity in movies—and even less used to seeing non-beautiful men nude. If you start to feel this way, I beg for you to press on. If you do press forward with Steam of Life, you will be treated to a beautiful film—while not in actors--cinematically, and an emotionally powerful film on a little explored topic—men's emotions. There may not be exactly an agenda or a specific plot to Steam of Life, but this documentary gives the viewer the opportunity to have their own take away and form their own opinions about the film as a whole.