hyped garbage

Beautiful, moving film.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Steam of Life In Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen's Steam of Life, Men of various backgrounds intimately share their livelihood stories with both their comrades and the camera in different saunas across Finland. As their tales of love, loss, death, and life evoke feelings from all over the emotional spectrum, which rise up with the curling steam they cultivate in their saunas. It is in this little pocket of their universe that they can divulge the inner workings of their minds, and it is the poetic cinematography and editing that pulls the overarching cultural expose forward.Intermingled with scenic shots of lush and dark Finland, the stories captured by Berghäll and Hotakainen's camera paint a complex image of manhood in Finland – an image that transcends both generational and cultural boundaries to ultimately provide insight on the lives of men in a modern world. Fatherhood, married life, military service, alcoholism, criminality, and self-consciousness thematically lay at the core of this film. Since the public baths of Ancient Greece, men meet where the steam rises to engage in multi-faceted discourse about life. At the close of each session, they appear reborn and cleansed in an unimaginably refreshing way.Seeking refuge in the unforgiving yet comforting extreme heat of the sauna, these men strip away their outer façade to divulge the dark corners of their psyche's to one another. For some, this periodic meeting with friends is what seems to be getting them through each day of strife. For others, it acts as a moment to share in friendship and help others. No matter the trials or tribulations discussed, each man has his moment to share and everyone walks away from the sauna session with a newfound sense of inner peace.The manner in which Berghäll and Hotakainen's film these dictations is reminiscent of a series of vignettes, giving the film an overall poetic feel. This film-poem approach allows the viewer to relate to the characters depicted. The film is strikingly capable of developing so much about the character of these men in such brief snippets. Not only this, but the film also achieves a showcase of commonalities between men of varied generations, socio-economic backgrounds, and mental states. The purpose of this film is achieved largely by its poetic form, and would have been nearly impossible to tap into in any other way – narrative, documenting the life of a single man, or otherwise.The relationship between man and sauna is highly specific. With women scarcely sprinkled throughout the film, one might at first find this film to be anti-feminist. However, this is far from the truth. Due to the nudity and the biological reminder of male anatomy that comes along with it, the gender of the characters may at first hit a viewer over the head. Yet, as their tales are told, each man is seen as a person, first and foremost, and gender hits the back-burner. Their problems, emotions, etc. are in some ways gender specific, but the struggle and pain, the joy and camaraderie, are all human experiences with which viewers of any gender can relate. At the same time, the film creates a window into manhood and the issues that rise out of it. It acts as an important depiction of life for a man today, but successfully includes and invites any viewer to take part in the retribution these men find in their sauna sessions. As such, while both depicting manhood and all of its vibrant complexities, as well as the human experience in general, this film provides intriguing and important perspective on life for any viewer.

A naked man sits thoughtful on a wooden bench. He leans forward to scoop water out of a bucket, throwing it onto the scorching hot rocks. He leans back, the water sizzling into steam as he tells his slow and solemn story. You could almost imagine the story is just for you. The same man sits on a porch surrounded by nature. He continues to speak as mosquitos buzz around the camera. The buzzing is almost annoying, except you can tell that this is his life, this is his comfort zone, and you fall into it. Back in the sauna, he slaps himself repeatedly with vihta and sits back again, waiting for a sweat to break across his forehead. The steam almost escapes through the screen.Vivid scenes such as this are the foundation of Steam of Life (2010), or Miesten vuoro. The film, by Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen, is a striking documentary, illuminating Finnish sauna culture through tales of the men who sweat for leisure. The men tell pieces of their stories, describing evolutions of broken to full lives and back again. Topics covered include childhood abuse, lost custody and visitation of children, prison sentences, love, aging, military service, loss, friendship, companionship and bear-ownership – yes, bear-ownership – among other things. There is not an issue passed over when it comes to sauna talk for these men.It is more than just talking though. The men drink, cry and laugh as they tell their stories, sharing in a way that many thought they might never be able. As the film progresses, then men share the lessons learned from their anecdotes, and it all comes together near the end when one man sums up what Sauna culture fulfills. "When I was younger, I thought you should manage everything alone… But later I realized that being alone is the hardest thing. Knowing that you don't have to go through it alone helps." And that more or less sums up the point of the film, it seems, and the placement at the end would support this. The film tells us that life is meant to be shared, and for Finnish men, the sauna is where that happens.While the stories are the core of the film, technical elements help to get the point across. I saw a noteworthy parallel between the editing of the film and the way the men told their life stories. The cycle follows as such: A man sits peacefully in a sauna. He slaps himself with vihta to improve circulation. He throws water onto the stones, and the sizzling breaks the peace, but it calms. And as soon as it calms, he throws water on it again. Every bit of water that hits the rocks makes the man sweat a little bit more, and relief comes as the steam relaxes his body. Once the man is done telling his story, the film cuts to a peaceful nature scene, underscored by music.Where's the parallel? Well, in life, a man sits peacefully. He does what he can to improve his life. But then something happens and it breaks the peace. All the man can do is wait until peace comes again and brings relief. And then comes the music, which symbolizes peace in harmony – people coming together as they do in the end of the film to find common peace. The music is a respite from the funny, the sad, the infuriating. It is the point where men can come together and face their trials and triumphs as a community.There are dozens of quotes in the film that further this idea of community, most coming at the end of each man's story. Starting at the beginning, some are as follows: "It's good that I can tell you." "We could cry together. I'm always crying alone." "I've always had empty pockets. Now I have my family and empty pockets." "But I just had to carry on, and you get the strength for it as you go along." "That's when I realized that love comes in different forms." "I have to take it one day at a time" "I always thought that life is ruled with rationale and theories and intellect and head… Then you lose your child, and there is no reason, it's all pure emotion."So these men find solace in their discoveries, challenging as the outcome of each story may be. They find peace in community, family, perseverance and relinquishing control to emotion. The film does more than just display Finnish sauna culture. It teaches its viewers to learn from both these men and their experiences, but also their own experiences. It also shows that sometimes you have to be beyond the difficulties of life to find clarity and it may take a remote place of peace, like a sauna in Finland, to really get to that point.I give this film an eight out of ten. It tells a great story, and a great many stories at that, and shows a part of life in a corner of the world that I didn't know about. It's educational, informative and interesting. The film accomplishes what it sets out to do, and if you are looking for a tranquil film that will make you think, you've found it. However if you're looking for an entertaining, light-hearted comedy, you won't find it in Steam of Life. You will simply find a couple dozen men pondering life – naked, mind you.

This is a great film, not an entertaining one, but a moving one. And I guess it will not open so well for people other than those who are from Finland or nearby... All this public nudity might be offending, especially when the people pictured are not Playboy models or the most handsome Hollywood stars. But this is because one have to understand that in Finnish sauna there is no nudity. People are naked, but in the eyes of those people it actually does not make any difference to that if they would be clothed. Sauna is sort of holy place where everyone is equal and where even men can vent their feelings, although otherwise it often is very difficult. And you can also open up to strangers, persons you have never met before and perhaps will never see after that. And that is what this film depicts very well; normally mostly introverted men share their deepest emotions in front of other people, naked, and in front of camera.Also with all these sceneries and exotic inventive sauna settings this is a good summary of Finland and the people who life there. This summaries the whole mentality of the country. I myself am a Finn living abroad and in troubled situations I really miss sauna, where I could really get into my deepest thoughts. In fact while sitting in my dark room and watching this film I could also imagine that I myself am there with these guys, hearing them and sharing my own problems in the nice heat of sauna. Guess I have to start searching for flight tickets right after this...

Did you know saunas have play a huge role in Finnish culture and history? The earliest saunas appeared around the 5th century in Finland. After a hard day at work men would go into the sauna for relaxation and to wind down for the evening. In the past, Finnish women would give birth and lived in the sauna with the newborn for a few days. Today proper sauna protocol is being quiet and considerate so everyone can relax. Finnish people are not known for being emotionally vulnerable, but this film shows a different, soft side to masculinity. The film Steam of Life follows men who sit in the Sauna and talk about their everyday, happy memories, love, and life struggles. The Steam of Life is one of few films showing a soft side of masculinity. Men are able to talk about life difficulties such as losing children, child visitation, love agony, and life stories. Usually directors have men act emotionless and hard core. This is the first film I have watched that have men talk about their soft sides, and as a result, I learned a lot from these men. The man who was trying to get custody or visitation with his children moved me. Films usually show women begging the fathers of their children to spend time with their children, but Steam of Life is not a stereotypical film. No two people have similar lives but each person faces individual and unique struggles. Not knowing you are alone and other people struggle with life is an incredible relief. Even though I can't personally relate to most the stories, I felt like I could understand where they were coming from and understand their situation. For example, I can't relate to the man whose child died and he talked with other parents who went through the same thing, but the way he told the story made me felt like I had lost a child and was coping with the grief. Each man talks honestly about his unique life. Even though this a serious film, every story is not sad and depressing but some have sweet and happy stories. In general this film makes the viewer realize that everyone has their ups and downs because life is a roller coaster. Actively listening is not possible one hundred percent of the time. What really struck me is how well each man listened. I know I am guilty of not listening when people are talking, but the men were engaged and actively listening to the speaker. This is so great because the men get to tell their stories to everyone who watches the documentary and the other men in the sauna encourage the viewer to actively pay attention. It is possible that the men were actively listening so well because they were acting for the camera, but I believe they were listening. I learned so much about body language and nonverbal clues just from watching people listen. The film uses no special effects or techniques because the main focus is the bare truth of life. Some of the men are not wearing anything showing vulnerability and confidence. The camera does not hide or conceal anything. Also, the camera does not just focus on the man speaking, but the camera shows the man speaking and the men listening. I was surprised that the men were so relaxed even though there were cameras right in front of them. Personally, I would never let a whole camera crew in while I was naked in a sauna. I couldn't tell my life stories to strangers-especially when naked! Therefore I think the men in this documentary have great self confidence and had to have been dedicated to the documentary. I felt like I was in the sauna and the men were telling me their personal life stories. In conclusion this documentary is very emotional. As the men sit and sweat in the sauna they cleanse themselves from their innermost secrets and emotions. This film made me realize what is important in life: friends, faith, and family. These three things provide a support network to help through the toughest times in life. In addition to the inside of saunas, the film shows the beautiful outdoors in Finland. The music helps build the emotional intensity, but it is not overdone and melodramatic. My favorite type of literature is personal memoirs and journals, but The Steam of Life is so much better than a memoir or journal because hearing the stories with emotions nothing is left to the imagination. Overall The Steam of Life gives an unique point of view to life because the film exclusively uses men who are in touch with their emotions.