After a week of mud baths, hot tubs, and spa therapy in saltwater pools, Irish director Gar O'Rourke fell in love with the wellness centre in Odessa at the heart of his directorial debut. In this observational documentary, the camera follows both patients and staff in their pursuit of healing and happiness, while the rumble of war continues to echo through the lime-green and pastel-pink hallways. Sanatorium captures just one summer of many in which thousands of Ukrainians have flocked to the spa, with its miraculous black mud said to cure all manner of ailments from infertility to physical disabilities. The difference this season lies in the nearby airstrikes, although with seemingly little effect on life within the walls of the brutalist Soviet-era building. Perhaps it’s the invigorating hope of rejuvenation, or maybe there’s something in the mud.