A prediction: Steam will easily be the best Turkish-bath movie released this year. The film revolves around a young Italian of Turkish descent (Alessandro Gassman) whose aunt bequeaths him a run-down hamam, a public steam bath in Istanbul that gradually piques his interest. Gassman is drawn to the mystery and history of the dilapidated hamam, and instead of selling, he begins to renovate it. In the process, he eventually (inevitably?) succumbs to the homoerotic tendencies encouraged by the steam room, embarking on a furtive affair with Mehmet Gunsur. What begins as a spooky descent into the back alleys and ancient traditions of Turkey ends as just another sexual-identity/domestic-drama flick, though co-writer and director Ferzan Ozpetek does a great job expressing the foreignness of Istanbul and the curious appeal of the steam baths in the eyes of his culturally estranged protagonist. The story, however simple, is compelling enough that its conclusion, though alluded to early in the film, still comes as a surprise. The acting, too, is naturalistic and top-notch, though Gassman's expressions rarely extend beyond sullen and withdrawn. Overall, Steam is an exotic distraction that makes up in flavor what it lacks in passion.