"There is something ever so slightly Martin Parr-like about this documentary, filmed inside a shabby rundown health resort near Odesa, in Ukraine. It's not the colour palette, which is Soviet-era pale beige, but the images of holidaymakers: elderly men strutting about in thongs and playing ping pong in their vests; retirees of both sexes glad-ragged at the disco. Like Parr's photos, the images are funny but not unkind; everyone retains their dignity."
"The director is Irish film-maker Gar O'Rourke, who planned Sanatorium before the war, but filmed it after Russia invaded Ukraine, which adds a layer of melancholy to the guests' search for health and happiness. The huge Kuyalnik sanatorium is a time warp with its brutalist architecture and institutional interiors. Back in its glory days, people must have come here in their thousands. Now, the place is a little tired: paint peeling off the walls, the ceilings stained by leaks."
A shabby, rundown sanatorium near Odesa displays Soviet-era pale beige interiors and brutalist architecture. Elderly guests parade in thongs and vests, play ping-pong, and dance at a disco, retaining dignity despite comic moments. Retro treatments include mud wraps and electro-massage machines. A mother brings her single son seeking a wife; slow dancing to George Michael creates a tender scene. Several guests bear war wounds or bereavement; air-raid sirens sound as Russians shell Odesa and visitors monitor drone and missile alerts on their phones. Staff face low visitor numbers and pressure under a boisterous director figure, while guests show heroic resilience.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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