Sanatorium

About the film

Near Odessa lies the Kuyalnik Sanatorium, a dated health resort where it feels as though the seventies never ended. Yet the war slowly creeps into the building: weary soldiers with physical and mental injuries check in as patients; occasionally the air raid siren sounds and the residents run to the shelter. We meet a colourful group of eccentric characters, including the burly manager Dmitriy with his trademark booming laugh. Irish director Gar O’Rourke paints, with stunning cinematography and a nostalgic colour palette of mint green and salmon pink, a dryly comic portrait of people who persevere stoically despite everything. The wonderfully awkward disco evening where elderly people shuffle across the dance floor and Careless Whisper plays through the speakers is unforgettable.