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.

LAY SUMMARY

Through Anna Hints’ documentary “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood,” the themes of cultural (smoke) sauna rituals and practices as well as more universal themes of humanity, womanhood, vulnerability, pain, and connection are examined. The relevance of such themes to (sex and relationship) therapists is discussed.

Keywords:

• Smoke sauna
• sisterhood
• media review

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was not funded by funding agencies or grants.