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
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
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)
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School Number 3 (2017)- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.