Sauna is a tender and intimate drama set in the only gay sauna in Adonis, Copenhagen. The film follows Johan, a man who frequents the sauna both as a patron and an employee, and his evolving relationship with William, a transgender man. While Johan finds comfort in the anonymity of the sauna, he develops genuine feelings for William, leading to a complex exploration of desire, self-acceptance, and the challenges of intimacy in a hypermasculine world.
Johan works at gay sauna Adonis, where he's there as often as a patron as he is an employee. He moves through the dimly lit spaces with ease, making seductive eye contact with men covered in shadow or hidden in alcoves.
He knows who he is and exactly what he wants amid the steam and sweat, living in a hypermasculine world of darkroom hook-ups and instant gratification. Drama Release Date April 25, 2025 Runtime 105 Minutes Director Mathias Broe Writers Mathias Broe, William Lippert Cast A romantic drama set in the only gay sauna found in Adonis, Copenhagen. Powered by Expand Collapse It's outside that environment where Johan is on unsteady ground. There's comfort to be found in the arms of a stranger, but a big city is lonely for someone whose social life revolves around anonymous encounters. Isolation creeps in even when the touch of another human being is a scroll away. Sauna Is A Tender & Intimate Drama At The Center Is A Complex Dynamic Maybe that's why, when he meets William, he's so open to something other than just sex. During their first encounter in Sauna, a tender, human drama from director and co-writer Mathias Broe, Johan is hesitant in the way he moves around William after finding out he is transgender. His eyes graze over William's chestbinder, which he wears while he saves up for top surgery. Johan looks at William's face with curiosity, seeing something more than just a means to an end. William remains rightfully cautious of Johan, but after his initial surprise, Johan asks if he can kiss William again. Related Plainclothes Review: Please Give Tom Blyth All The Awards For His Stunning Turn In Anxiety-Driven LGBTQ+ Romantic Thriller Led by an outstanding Tom Blyth, Plainclothes is a multidimensional romantic thriller that is worth analyzing from every angle. Posts What follows is an interaction filled with vulnerability and curiosity — Johan feels something beyond the pure hunger that comes with a random hook-up, probably because William is baring his soul to Johan after their rocky introduction. It's a sweet way to build immediate intimacy between the two characters who come from very different backgrounds within Copenhagen's queer community. Earlier in the film, Johan's friend calls him a"Gold Star Gay," misogynistic slang for a man who has never touched a woman's genitals, during intercourse or otherwise. This undercurrent of misogyny runs rampant in many enclaves of the cis-gay male community, but the comment doesn't seem to register with Johan. Johan isn't necessarily an obstacle in that, but to use William's journey as a launching pad for his own self-acceptance will only lead to heartbreak for both. He's still searching for something that he can't find in the dark, preoccupied with thoughts of William, who he's desperate to see again. All he is projecting onto William — his loneliness, his uncertainty of self, his desire for the sweet embrace of anonymity — is unfair, though, as William is on his own journey of self-actualization. Johan isn't necessarily an obstacle in that, but to use William's journey as a launching pad for his own self-acceptance will only lead to heartbreak for both and raises questions about cis-gay people standing on the shoulders of trans people. This thorny subject is handled with care by the film, which is ultimately about the complex love between its two central characters. Related Sundance 2025 Preview: 7 Biggest Movies That Could Dominate The Year Sundance offers up huge movie premieres and under-the-radar gems. Here's our predictions for the films that could breakout and dominate 2025. Posts What makes Sauna so grounded beyond William and Johan's relationship are the tiny details captured in the film. The muffled grunts and moans of the bathhouse. The sharing of testosterone between one trans friend and another. The off-the-cuff comment to Johan about how he won't make any friends on Grindr . Broe is able to go beyond a clichéd queer cityscape to capture something that feels achingly real, all the more so in the evolution of Johan and William's relationship. There's a sadness here, but it's blunted by the fact that it plays out in a way that feels very true to life. Movie My Favorite Movies My Watchlist Success! 8/10 Sauna Release Date April 25, 2025 Runtime 105 Minutes Director Mathias Broe Writers Mathias Broe, William Lippert Cast
LGBTQ+ Romance Self-Discovery Transgender Intimacy
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