Review of "Sauna", "M"
Sauna (Annila, 2008)
IMDB Link
Don't you love it when you watch something and it raises a point, and you read on it, and learn something new?
"Sauna" is set in the 16th century, the end of a 25 year old war between Sweden and Russian. The first thing I thought about was, wait, Russians and the Swedes had a 25 year old war? The Swedes?? But they seem so nice! Well, according to my dear old friend Mr Wik P. Dia, there seems to have been several Russo-Swedish Wars, starting on and off from before the 10th century up to the 19th century! Apparently, in the 15th Century War, the Russian Tzar and Swedish King didn't like each other with the Tzar writing to the King, "Ask your merchants and they will tell you that Novgorod's suburbs are larger than your Stockholm and that Novgorod's governors are descended from sovereign rulers of great empires, whereas your parents sold oxen at a market several decades ago."
Dude, burn.
Anyway, this historical lesson does not have much to do with the movie, but I thought it was more interesting than the film itself. The film has both sides sending their representatives to map the land between the two territories and agree on the borders. Our film's side is the two Swedish brothers, one a bloodthirsty soldier and another his younger, inexperienced, educated brother. Before their border tracking quest with the Russians, the older brother kills a man and leaves his daughter locked in a basement to die, an vicious act against them when he suspects them of supporting the Russians. The younger brother, feeling guilty, sees the ghost of the daughter following him.
To make matters more strange for them, they come across a strange building in the middle of a swamp, later claimed to be an ancient sauna. And near that, is a village, which the Russians and the Swedes have to decide to which country they will belong to.
All of this, in a spooky atmosphere and here the movie does good, the feeling of it all. But the movie is an art film disguised as a horror film and a BAD art film at that. The plot has more questions than answers, but it asks so many questions that after a while, you don't care about looking for answers. I don't want a movie to spoon-feed me, but I want it to show me a path or at least, make me care to try to look for an answer. If it just dumps textbooks of questions in front of me and leaves home to wank, don't expect me to put in much effort.
2/5
M (1931, Lang)
IMDB Link
Sometimes an old movie surprises you, not because of how good it is, but how good it is and does not feel outdated at all! I'm a critical guy, while I appreciated a movie having done something first, it does not necessarily mean I will enjoy it. "M" is an old film. It was released in 1931, which is one of those dates that I need to think about it to really realize how far back it is. 1931! I wasn't born, my father wasn't born, and I think even my grandfather wasn't born! And the world's first serial killer movie (I think, it might be one of those well-established but wrong information) from before World War 2 is not only fantastic but fresh.
In Germany, children are disappearing. A man seems to be kidnapping, raping, and killing them. The people are in a panic. Unlike most clichéd serial killers that came since this film, "M" stays fresh and unique becauseit doesn't resort to the clichés before there even was clichés! It is not Serial Killer Vs the Policeman About to Retire, or Ex-Policeman Called in the Job, or Journalist, the Father of a Kidnapped Child. In "M" it is not about individuals, but about society. It's Serial Killer Vs People. The panic affects everywhere. The woman whose child does not come home, or the older men discussing it over drinks, or the police, or even the small time criminals.
And when faced with a situation that they don't understand and can't resolve, panic turns into hysteria. Any man talking to a young girl is accused, fights break out as people suspect each other, and the police under pressure but unable to find any leads.
And suddenly we get the first scene with the serial killer. Looking at a mirror, he uses his fingers to pull at his lips. A smile, on his baby-faced expression. The world is going mad due to him and here he is, trying on a smile. Later on, he gives one of the best monologues ever made by a serial killer character. Passionate, angry, frightened, frightening, he tries to convince his audience that he kills, not because he wants to, but because he MUST. "Who knows what it's like to be me? How I'm forced to act... how I must, must... don't want to, must! Don't want to, but must!"
4/5