Even though ’Sauna’ is an adaptation of Mads Ananda Lodahl’s book by the same name, this debut film of Matthias Broe is a deeply personal one. His own experiences are the driving force behind the honest and intimate depiction of queer identity and sexuality.

Johan, a gay man played by Magnus Juhl Andersen, is working in a sauna in Copenhagen where men come to have sex. He meets William, a young gay trans man played by Nina Rask, who is in the process of transitioning. They fall deeply in love, but their love is challenged, as Johan struggles to fully understand Williams relationship with his gender and body. We get an insight into the complexities of queer relationships and spaces; how the cis-gay community can be transphobic, and how spaces for trans people excludes cis people.

Matthias Broe graduated from the Danish film school Super16 and in collaboration with the production company Nordisk Film, he now releases his first feature film. He felt that this particular story was in urgent need of being told, and even though he was nervous about telling it in a political correctly manner, he decided to let go and let the authenticity of the love story be the prime motor.

Both Lodahl and Broe have admitted that the work is ”by us, for us” referring to the queer, leftist community of Copenhagen, which they both are part of, and it certainly does show. The film often feels insulated with locations and references obviously directed at their own social circles,

They may at times blur the lines between representing queer people in general and representing their own Copenhagen friends, but this can be excused because of the refreshing and realistic depiction of queer love, which allows for an unattended audience to finally feel identified on the big screen.

In the casting process of the film, they accordingly looked to the very same community, which feels like a good choice. It adds to the credibility that the actors know exactly which culture, emotions and types of relationships they are portraying. Especially the casting of Nina Rask as William is not only historical, as the first trans lead in a Danish film, but Nina, who until now has worked as a comedian, delivers a serious and convincing performance, making William into a memorable character.

Although it has been established that the purpose of the film is not to cater to a cis-hetero audience, it is a shame that the nuances of Johans character have been washed away in the adaptation of the book. The literary Johan spends a lot of time pondering revolutionary political ideas and as he starts to project these ideals onto Williams body and identity, it creates a deep cliff between the two lovers. The audiovisual Johan is more awkward than inappropriate, thereby losing an important aspect of the original story - one that is arguably relevant to the target audience.

The film may be less ambitious than the book, but it is certainly more intentional and well-executed. Broe is not afraid to stay in tense and intimate scenes, whether sexual or emotional. This is how he ends up with a powerful film, depicting the complexity of queerness, the struggles of trans bodies and a raw love story. The impressive lighting is throughout the film supporting the emotions and the depiction of the environments – from the dark and saturated lights of the sexually aggressive dark rooms to the soft, blurry brightness of spending time in the forest with someone you love.

The topic of excluding culture withing the queer scene is a delicate one, but ‘Sauna’ treats it carefully yet genuinely. The film shows the challenges of inhabiting a queer body, not in the meeting with the straight world, but in the contrasts within itself. It brings an intersectional perspective to the screen in eye height, by showing the complexities in the collision of different queer identities. Matthias Broe delivers with this debut film a reflected and rarely natural story about love, which is what it is at heart and what makes it relatable to any viewer – queer or not – a deeply moving love story.