Sauna is a nuanced, inclusive telling of a very human drama: Sundance Film Festival Review

Sensitively handling the queer love story at its core, Mathias Broe‘s Sauna explores the fluid possibilities of connection, further exacerbating its impact through the filmmaker’s own relationship with his transitioning partner.

The sauna of the title refers to the place of work for young Johan (Magnus Juhl Andersen), a barely-legal, zero body fat-type twink who is making the most of his gay freedom in Copenhagen.  Adonis, the gay sauna of his employ, is a cruising space for a multitude of Danish men who, through private cabins and the such, live out their fantasies of anonymous encounters; the film proving not for the prudish with its graphic depictions of shameless sex.

Often scrolling through the gay hookup app ‘Grindr’ for his next one night stand – though we see in one instance that he wouldn’t mind if the sex evolved into at least spending the rest of the night together with his “suitor” – Johan manages to make an unexpected connection with William (Nina Rask), who is in the midst of their female-to-male transition.  It’s through this relationship that Broe explores the individual communities within the queer space at large, and how even in a marginalized collective there can be respective prejudice.

Johan’s boss, who he also shares a living space with, quite forcefully ejects William from Adonis, explaining that it’s a space for “men to have sex with men”, and William’s trans identity places him on the outside of male identity.  Similarly, Johan never quite feels as welcomed with William’s trans friends, and it’s through uncomfortable close-up shots that Broe highlights the isolation one can feel within a group they presumed they were a part of.

Whilst there’s the sense that both Johan and William yearn for their happily ever after, whether or not that’s what they’ll find with each other is another matter.  The film weaves in and out of hopefulness for the two, but William – so beautifully embodied by Rask – always keeps Johan at a distance.  Is it being scared of commitment because they hone a certain uncertainty about themselves? Or in wanting to make the transition final, they reserve the right to enjoy the freedom of sexual exploration away from a partner?  The nuances and words unspoken between Johan and William keep Sauna devastatingly investing.

Broe maintains a realistic look at relationships within the queer community across Sauna.  The conversations had and both the casual attitude towards sexual promiscuity and the reckless nature many men adhere to keep the film grounded in an uncomfortable realism.  Not all audiences will appreciate this approach, but those that do will surely be enveloped by its inclusive telling of an ultimately very human, ironically universal story.

THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)

Sauna screened as part of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, which ran between January 23rd and February 2nd, 2025 in person, with select titles available online for the public between January 30th and February 2nd. For more information head to the official Sundance page.

Peter Gray

Seasoned film critic. Gives a great interview. Penchant for horror. Unashamed fan of Michelle Pfeiffer and Jason Momoa.