Sauna

Director: Mathias Broe, 103 min, Denmark.

Fresh from Sundance! Amid the vibrant nightlife of Copenhagen, young Johan (Magnus Juhl Andersen) explores his emerging sexuality while working at a popular bathhouse and seeking out hookups through dating apps. When one of his online connections turns out to be a trans man named William (Nina Rask), Johan is initially uncertain—but quickly drawn in by William’s disarming charm. What begins as a fleeting encounter soon deepens into a passionate affair, pulling Johan into a new and unfamiliar world. As he meets William’s trans friends and witnesses their daily fight for access to hormones and gender-affirming surgery, Johan is also forced to confront the unspoken prejudices and rigid norms that persist within the gay community. In the process, he must ask himself what kind of ally—and what kind of man—he genuinely wants to be.