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Steam of Life

Play trailer Steam of Life 2010 1h 21m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 3 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Finnish men open up about life and love while relaxing in a sauna.

Critics Reviews

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Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice 08/21/2012
4/5
A riveting documentary about the spiritual uses of saunas by Finnish men. Go to Full Review
Leslie Stonebraker New York Press 06/09/2011
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." Go to Full Review
Fr. Chris Carpenter Movie Dearest 12/06/2010
B
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. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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02/04/2014 What an incredibly emotional film with a huge heart. Check it out if you can. See more 02/23/2013 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. See more 12/14/2011 Hot sweaty men talk about life - and show that anything can be turned into a sauna. "Sometimes it's good to talk." See more 11/02/2011 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. See more 10/02/2011 "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! See more 08/19/2011 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. See more Read all reviews
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
Producer
Joonas Berghäll
Screenwriter
Joonas Berghäll, Mika Hotakainen
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
Finnish
Runtime
1h 21m