Sanatorium (2025)

Directed by

Gar O'Rourke

Genre

documentary film

Country

Ukraine, France, Ireland

Runtime

1h 30m

Rated

15

Rating

7.5 of 10 from 2 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary observes the daily lives of people staying at a former Soviet sanatorium in Ukraine. The residents seek medical care and comfort while a war goes on outside. The film quietly captures their routines and moments of connection.

observationalslow-pacedmeditativeintimatewarmrestrainedgroundedtender

What happens

Sanatorium (Ukrainian: Санаторій, romanized: Sanatoriy) is a 2025 observational documentary film directed by Gar O'Rourke in his directorial debut. It follows the lives of the residents of Kuyalnik Sanatorium, a former Soviet medical center that now provides medical treatment and comfort to its guests while the Russian war against Ukraine rages. O'Rourke first visited Kyiv in 2018 for another film project and stayed at a Ukrainian sanatorium in 2021, before war broke out, to obtain first-hand experience. It was selected as the Irish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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