anna told me that this film is not about having courage to tell uncomfortable stories, but to listen to them without the need to comment

Love those moments where you’re not sure if you’re looking at a bead of sweat, a droplet of condensation, or a tear

“TO ALL MY SISTERS”

Defined as intimate in the description, which is accurate, but also doesn’t feel close to covering what Smoke Sauna Sisterhood is.

How can something be so joyous and so mournful at the same time? So open and yet so sacred? 

So much shared laughter, so much shared pain. Sisterhood is forever. It has to be in the wake of the unwavering violence and cruelty and horrors that women endure. 

*An important trigger warning for some: this film features a woman bravely sharing her story of being raped in graphic detail.

folds of skin and water droplets. how lucky we are to love each other. to laugh together in the cold. dance as seasons change. catharsis in steam. friendship in sharing. emerging anew. i try to find a smoke sauna everywhere, in everyone. we are all sisters somehow.

Sundance Watch #12: A documentary unlike any I’ve seen before. The most human piece of cinema I’ve experienced, and a true testament to the tenacity, beauty, and resilience of the feminine spirit. Pure magic!

Through many of these confessions Hints holds her camera steady on the storyteller, but for others the trauma runs too deep and instead the camera holds on the faces of those bearing witness. Interspersed throughout are body parts—arms, legs, stomach folds, breasts—of every conceivable body shape and size, photographed with affection. Hints frames bodies with light, creating a chiaroscuro effect akin to oil paintings. Additionally, laughter of recognition rings throughout, whether the confessor shares a horrible dating app experience or something much grimmer. It is through this laughter these women find the fibers deep inside themselves that connect them to each other.

[Read my capsule review at RogerEbert.com]

vibes are pretty immaculate in this one. guess I gotta move to an Estonian sauna hut

in the sauna, no one can see your tears

SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD is a stunningly shot & transcendent documentary about women’s stories. In this safe space they share their pain, joy, hopes & regrets, seeking community & healing. Intimate & immersive. Captures raw experiences in such a profound, honest & powerful manner.

A film by a woman about women for women to comfort women

Me and the girls at every single sleepover

Hot Docs 2023 #12: Persister (Canadian Premiere)

Absolutely devastating in the manner by which it presents itself. The total vulnerability of the people who we're seeing on the screen, especially as they share their own stories with one another, ranging from the moments they feel happy but also the way that they've all felt humiliated, just makes for something that can't be forgotten so easily. It's all about how people feel like they're able to witness a sense of healing from the company of each other, and let all the bad air be released so soon after.

Truly something special, first in its intimacy but also in how we as the viewers are made to feel a part of what these women are able to share with each other. Wonderful film.