I had never really thought about it, but maybe the world does need a good medieval horror film. The unrepentantly brutal and superstitious nature of the era would seem to lend itself to something pretty burly, and the longstanding cult appeal of Army of Darkness would seem to indicate that the popular interest is there. Evidently, the producers of Sauna agreed, and in making this picture, laid the groundwork for that film, for which we should be eternally grateful. It’s not that Sauna isn’t good and spooky, because it is; it simply has the same reasonable amount of clumsiness that one could expect of any filmmaker feeling out an idea. It’s simply more noticeable because you get the distinct feeling that they’re on to something.
In the aftermath of the war between Russia and Sweden (something I was unaware had even happened), brothers Knut (Tommi Eronen) and Eerik (Ville Virtanen) are part of a joint effort to redefine the border between the two countries. Along the way, they engage in something pretty awful for which Eerik is primarily guilty, but neither is totally innocent (I’m not sure how much the distributors are trying to keep secret, so I’ll stay mum about it). Not long afterward, they come upon a small town in the marsh between the two countries which immediately has the air and feeling of a ‘horror movie village.’ All of the citizens are quiet all of the time, nobody seems to be out after dark, and there is a perplexing sauna out at the edge of the town, which is treated in roughly the same way that Dracula’s castle would be. Additionally, there is some indication that the actions taken by the brothers en route to the village will come back to haunt them in the most horrific way possible.
Looking over that last paragraph, I can’t help but think that it seems exceptionally vague, but I am hard pressed to give away more about the film without ruining it completely, which is one of the faults of the film which prevents it from reaching its full potential. Throughout the film, we are only given the phrase a ‘monstrous evil’ to define the villain, and nothing that happens in the entire running time to further elaborate on that, even when the real horror movie tropes come out in the last act. It’s regrettable, but it’s really difficult to stay with a monster film when you don’t even really know what the protagonists are fighting, what its abilities are, and how you kill it. It’s a central creative choice that the film never really comes to terms with, and it’s what prevents it from ever gaining the foothold that it seems to want to,
Which isn’t to say that the film isn’t successful in other areas. Unlike most modern horror films, which draw from influences as wide-ranging as American slasher to Italian exploitation, Sauna draws clearly and unmistakably from Bergman’s vision of the dark ages, articulated most clearly in The Virgin Spring and The Seventh Seal. Here, as there, violence isn’t so much an aesthetic choice as a way of life, instigated by everything from cow milking to boot lacing, and spirituality isn’t so much an abstract notion so much as an active force in everyday life, hanging like a guillotine ready to arbitrarily strike at a moment’s notice (God seems to only punish here, never reward). Knut and Eerik, both of them hardened and battle weary act not so much as independent characters as extensions of the landscape, hateful (their relationship with the Russians is less than friendly) and unforgiving (when given a chance to correct their mistake, they don’t take it) as the world around them. There have been visions of humanity just as bleak in recent times (I would cite Where The Wild Things Are as an example), but this is one that feels exceptionally well-placed, and even if the mechanics of its artistry never match the promise of its vision, it’s nice to see something that feels like its going somewhere. Now if only some one makes the movie that this could have been, we’ll be in great shape.
DVD Bonus Features
The disc also contains the film’s trailer.
"Sauna" is on sale October 27, 2009 and is rated NR. Horror. Directed by Antti Jussi Annila. Written by Iiro Küttner. Starring Ville Virtanen, Tommi Eronen, Viktor Klimenko, Rain Tolk.
