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      Steam of Life

      2010 1h 21m Documentary List
      Reviews 86% 250+ Ratings Audience Score Finnish men open up about life and love while relaxing in a sauna. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

      View All (3) Critics Reviews
      Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice A riveting documentary about the spiritual uses of saunas by Finnish men. Rated: 4/5 Aug 21, 2012 Full Review Leslie Stonebraker New York Press In breathtaking, open country, men straddling all kinds of pot-bellies toss water on hot rocks as steam and sweat and tears intermingle because "sometimes it's good to talk." Jun 9, 2011 Full Review Fr. Chris Carpenter Movie Dearest While some of the men's sharing could be termed routine or predictable (and possibly coached), there are astonishing moments of emotional intimacy recorded here. Rated: B Dec 6, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (37) audience reviews
      Audience Member What an incredibly emotional film with a huge heart. Check it out if you can. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member If you barely stand Beethoven's music style, this movie may put you to a familiar inconvenience as the nakedness of life is depicted in both visual and writing. That what makes this movie very personal, therefore worthwhile to watch. The performance of the "actors" is comparable to the professional ones. It made me give the same focus when I was stuck on my seat besetting with the conflicts in "A Separation" (2011). Should you presume that Finnish people don't talk quite much, this documentary shares an alternative insight. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member Hot sweaty men talk about life - and show that anything can be turned into a sauna. "Sometimes it's good to talk." Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Documentary that capture men telling stories and sharing their problems while using a sauna. The images is static and really nice. The stories are mostly sad and touching, but there is also room for som fun here. I was left with a great amount of empaty for the guys, at the same time I wanted to enter a sauna with a good friend and talk about life. The plot or topic seem slim, but it really does work. Naked men, crying in their saunas. The beauty lies in the invisible tears. No mather how hard they cry, the sweat caused by the heat seem to win. Beautiful. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member "The directors visit a number of men from all parts of Finland, who show off their saunas -- which range from well-appointed steam rooms to converted trailers and phone booths -- and then take a steam, which inspires them to talk about their lives." Wow! Emotional. A MUST SEE Movie! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member By far the most impressive Finnish documentary I've seen, depicting the sad human stories and the many faces of Finland in a cinematographically and technically impeccable, yet highly intimate style. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Steam of Life

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis Finnish men open up about life and love while relaxing in a sauna.
      Director
      Joonas Berghäll, Mika Hotakainen
      Screenwriter
      Joonas Berghäll, Mika Hotakainen
      Genre
      Documentary
      Original Language
      Finnish
      Runtime
      1h 21m