A pastor and a politician in Helsinki agree to open up their marriage and see other people, in Selma Vilhunen’s entertaining Four Little Adults, screening in the Big Screen Competition at Rotterdam. It takes the romantic comedy-drama into decidedly edgier thematic territory than one would normally expect from the genre, as bourgeois conceptions of the nuclear family and the moral hypocrisy of clandestine infidelity are challenged. The film’s benign, broad humour and glossy lightness slyly serve its subversive intent further, normalising polyamory for a mainstream audience in easily digestible packaging. Those familiar with the Finnish director’s previous festival success Hobbyhorse Revolution (2017), a documentary about a community of teens who groom and ride toy horses, will not be surprised that she has chosen to empathetically spotlight another unconventional lifestyle choice.
The very public roles of parish priest Matias (Eero Milonoff) and Member of Parliament Juulia (Alma Poysti) raise the stakes considerably as they navigate the complex and evolving terrain of desire and commitment, aware spotless reputations are deemed indispensable to their careers. As the film opens, their current set-up of promised monogamy is no longer working. Matias has been in a year-long affair with Enni (Oona Airola), a single mother who works at a publishing house, who he shares wild nights with. He adores her, but also loves his wife, and is invested in raising the young son they have together. Juulia is devastated when the secret comes to light, but neither of them see divorce as an attractive solution to a seemingly impossible situation. At first, it seems we may be in for a story about a man who gets to have it all, while the women in his life reluctantly contort their needs and expectations to suit his whims. But the plot soon evens out when Juulia meets drag artist and pediatric nurse Miska (Pietu Wikstrom) in a club, and there is a spark. Miska has a boyfriend who lives in Stockholm but gives his blessing to him also seeing Juulia (who, in turn, abandons her plan to try out hook-up app Tinder.)
If this sounds complicated — it is. Much humour and pathos is generated by the awkward, rocky meet-ups and trial and error by which these four adults try to work out an arrangement that meets all of their needs. The married couple’s son Miro, by contrast, takes it in nonchalant stride, suggesting narrow-minded societal attitudes, rather than any damaging ethical lapse necessitating moral panic, are the real problem. The film is ultimately optimistic that chaos is worth it, for true connection. It does not present polyamory as a quick fix, but rather, shows that any relationship is hard work, and full of ups and downs, insecurities and jealousies. The polyamory manual that Juulia purchases, and which becomes a running joke, is no match for many of the hurdles that come their way or the sheer lack of time to go around. When Enni becomes pregnant, multi-way tensions increase exponentially, but also new sources of joy.
The recent political scandal around Finland’s prime minister Sanna Marin partying in her private time is not directly mentioned, but suggests that what public leadership means, and where the boundaries around personal conduct should be drawn, is now a hot topic of debate in the fairly forward-thinking Nordic nation. While the film’s politician and pastor plot set-up is too conveniently schematic to feel believable, the cast all bring enough depth and flawed human appeal to their roles that it scarcely matters. As the four soul-search on how honest and transparent they want to be with friends and family around them, in order to live truly authentically without shame, the film opens up a much wider conversation about what constitutes an inclusive society in contemporary times. And as Matias prepares an important sermon, and Juulia runs for election with a campaign against family structural inequality, the goal of transforming institutions from within is presented as a very real prospect.
Director, screenwriter: Selma Vilhunen
Producers: Elli Toivoniemi, Venla Hellstedt, Petri Kemppinen
Editor: Antti Reikko
Cinematography: Juice Huhtala
Cast: Alma Pöysti, Eero Milonoff, Oona Airola, Pietu Wikström
Production Design: Sattva-Hanna Toiviainen
Sound Design: Lotta Mäki
Music: Sarah Assbring, Jacob Haage
Production company: Tuffi Films (Finland)
Sales: LevelK
Venue: International Film Festival Rotterdam (Big Screen Competition)
In Finnish
121 minutes
