SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD•ANTS TAMMIK

the alienation caused by divergent sexual identity.

For a documentary filmmaker, the challenge is how to capture these very private moments without piercing the protective bubble created by the savvusann.

“These are intelligent women and they wanted to tell their stories,” remarks Tammik. “The trust really came through Anna. The women knew her artistic intentions beforehand. She spent time with them before the sauna and was also among the sisterhood inside the sauna.

“I think it also helped that I’m not such a masculine ‘alpha man’ in my appearance,” he adds, “they took me for a little safe guy.”

It was agreed that only women who were comfortable doing so would show their faces. Others are depicted as torsos or sometimes just fleshy forms of light and shadow. Certain tales are related by a voice in the darkness, the camera observing only the listeners’ reactions and knowing nods of support.

“Anna is a really visual director,” relates Tammik, “she really understands composition, and likes to use symbols and layers. From the first day we realised that we have the same language. It’s so enjoyable to work with this kind of director who totally understands and supports you to do a good thing.”

The pair aimed for simplicity on the colour grade, handled by Sten-Johan Lill, himself a DP and four-times winner of Best Cinematography at the Estonian Film and TV Awards.

“We didn’t over-think it,” says Tammik. “We played around with skin colours and this reddish tone I really like that can be found in the shadow part of skins. I also wanted to capture that blueish light you see when you look out into the harsh winter nature from the warm protective place of the sauna; it’s magical and a little bit dangerous. But in the other seasons, we just tried to catch the true colour.”

In the closing moments of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, a woman floats on her back in the black water of the lake. Her demeanour is of someone liberated and uplifted. Out of sight, her sisters’ whoops and chirrups blend with the surrounding birdsong.

“We Estonians may not believe so much in God,” remarks Tammik, “but we really believe in nature and in the spirit around us.”