Savvusanna sõsarad (2023)
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Directors
In an Estonian black sauna, women share candid stories about relationships, sexuality, and aging.
The story
Estonian women gather in a black sauna, an ancient tradition of the Võrumaa region, where they speak candidly about experiences that span generations. Their conversations range from relationships with parents and discovering sexuality to serious illnesses in old age. Director Anna Hints describes the film’s intention as creating a safe, inclusive space for women to share their stories. In the sauna’s dim light, the film presents these accounts through voice-overs linked not to speakers’ faces but to anonymous bodies, allowing the stories to suggest a broader human experience.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Throughout the film, Estonian women take a black sauna, an ancient and important tradition in Estonia’s Võrumaa region, which is included on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. In the bathhouse’s dim light, they speak candidly about different facets of women’s experience—from relationships with their parents and discovering their sexuality to the serious illnesses of old age. According to director Anna Hints, her aim in making the film was “to create a safe and inclusive space where women could share their stories.” As film critic Anton Dolin notes, the filmmakers fit into the hour-and-a-half film “a female universe that expands beyond gender categories and takes on universal qualities—perhaps because the voice-overs are connected not to the speakers’ faces, but to their anonymous bodies.”
Genres
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