The film’s sound design further solidifies a sense of time and place, emphasizing the cultural significance of the smoke sauna through the incorporation of the women’s folk chants and songs. In fact, it is only these women that provide a ‘soundtrack’ to the experience. The inclusion of an accordion played by a woman underscores the meticulous attention to detail and authenticity.
In the film’s final moments, the women chant a song (translated for the first time). As they rhythmically pound their legs and thighs, the women proclaim, “We sweat out all this pain! We sweat out all that fear!” The percussion–a potentially ‘provocative’ repetition of wet skin slapping skin– is now rendered victorious and confrontational and underscores the transformative nature of Hints’ direction.
“…immersed in the imagery and ‘art’ of documentary filmmaking…”
Hint dedicates the film to “all [her] sisters.” This dedication–readily embraced by me, a woman–calls into question the existence of a male viewer. There must be some. However, I would argue the viewer’s participatory position makes gender negligible.
The concept of sisterhood extends beyond the confines of the smokehouse. Contrasting the intimate setting, scenes of women in the external world are captured in expansive long shots. Whether playing in the snow or bathing in the lake, these women are observed from an outsider’s perspective. Yet, even the traditional male gaze inherent in these shots cannot diminish the transformative impact of the sauna. What might, in an oil painting, represent ‘women bathing’ here represents the endurance of an entire community.
The thematic equilibrium within Smoke Sauna Sisterhood does not negate the male gaze. Rather, it asserts the feminine. Through confession and testimony, women become embodied. Witnesses, irrespective of gender, fortify their truth. While the credits roll, the women express gratitude to the Smoke Sauna, the conduit of this sacred connection.
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood screened at the 2024 Palm Springs International Film Festival.
"…does not negate the male gaze. Rather, it asserts the feminine."
