Sauna

Johan thrives as a gay man in Copenhagen, enjoying endless bars, parties, and casual flings. Everything changes when he meets William, a transgender man, and falls into a deep love that defies societal norms around gender, identity, and relationships.

The steamy mystique of the gay bathhouse is the perfect location for this exploration of queer affinity and slippery understanding. The storied setting is paired perfectly with the breaking of brand new narrative ground in this film that marries sweet romance with spiny complexity. Johan and William echo, invert, flip, and reconfigure the stories that they have been told about themselves, their world, and their community. Vacillating between attraction and revulsion, affection and grotesque jealousy, these two young people negotiate the tricky terrain of the contemporary queer romantic landscape. Writer-director Mathias Broe flexes his storytelling musculature and dexterity in this intricately engineered and beautifully fashioned film with stellar performances from leads Magnus Juhl Andersen and Nina Rask. This talented trio brings fresh dimension and unforgettable specificity to a culture ravenously hungry for it.—Ash Hoyle

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