Review: Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (2023): documentary by Anna Hints

Abstract

This article aims to review the critically acclaimed debut documentary “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” (2023) by Anna Hints. On the outside the movie is rather culturally specific - setting of a smoke sauna in a Võromaa region of the small country of Estonia, following the lived experiences of women growing up in the late Soviet to early post-Soviet times. However, in this context, much more universal themes of womanhood are unveiled. As the themes of womanhood, bodies, nudity, patriarchy, and violence are ever-present in the therapy rooms of sex and relationships therapists, this is a movie that holds a gentle reminder of the fragility and stories people hold. In the context of visceral smoke sauna traditions, the relevance of cultural wisdom and humanity invite therapists to reflect on the nature of our work and the spaces we create.