Sauna (2008)

Hmm. Someone's going to need to explain this movie to me. Is there a boogeymonster that's so well-known in Finnish (Russian?) folklore that its presence is fully understood and taken for granted? I still have no idea what was attacking these people, how or why. But that's part of what makes it so scary. That and the fact tat the director is a damned inventive manipulative bastard. His clever blend of static and hand-held camera shots

"Wash your sins" Finnish horror movies come out maybe once in a decade. I can't recall seeing another horror movie from Finland before 'Sauna'. A-J Annila has taken a highly ambitious task on his hands but he doesn't nail it completely. It is the late 16th century and the 25 year lasting war between Sweden/Finkand and Russia has ended. Eerik and Knut are two brothers, part of a border-recognition treaty detachment. On their journey to solve the differences between the two nations, Eerik murders someone at the beginning of the film. After that, 'Sauna' runs completely around the consequences of this tragic event. They come to a town in the middle of nowhere. There is an old sauna... 'Sauna' has an interesting basis but A-J Annila can't completely hold his "strings attached". The beginning of the film makes the story develop nicely but midthrough when the lead characters are torned by sin and guilt, the story just scatters in different directions. I'm not sure if the director was even sure of how he wanted the movie to end? 'Sauna's' strength lies in its psychological horror. It's a good thing that Annila did not include cheap spooky effects. The visual image of the film is also beautiful. There's no doubt that Annila is one of the most talented directors coming from Finland. Ville Virtanen, who has made a long career in Finland, gives a strong performance as Eerik. I was very surprised of his performance as I remember him best as a comedic actor. 'Sauna' had some very good potential but maybe Annila's experience isn't at the level required to make a full feature film? Strongly recommended though to all fans of different kind of horror.