Sanatorium is a 2025 observational documentary film[1] directed by Gar O'Rourke in his directorial debut.[2] 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.[3]
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.[4]
Just outside Odesa in southern Ukraine is the Kuyalnik Sanatorium, an imposing brutalist structure built in the Soviet era and now in a poor state of repair. The film, shot over a summer season, shows the lives of both the sanatorium staff and residents, who receive medical treatment and take part in social activities. There are frequent reminders of the Russo-Ukrainian War, including its impact on individuals, and guests moving to the basement on fears of airstrikes on nearby Odesa.
The film was commercially released on September 5, 2025, in Irish theaters by Eclipse Pictures.[8]
Reception
Critical response
The film received positive reviews.
Gemma Creagh in Film Ireland commented that "The heart of this film lies in its warmth, grounded in the minutiae of routine. Gar has built a deep rapport with each of these subjects. This space of trust allows not only for authenticity, but for a surprising helping of humour".[4] Wendy Ide in Screen International saw it as a "strikingly cinematic, affectionately droll study of Ukrainian resilience in the face of war ... it captures the rhythms of life ... and sense of dislocation in this concrete time capsule from a past era."[9]
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