Pirkko and Taina, two sisters from Sysmä, have continued the traditional craft of brewing the sahti farmhouse ale under the shadow of their sahti brewmaster father’s reputation. When their city-dwelling sister asks them to brew 100 litres of sahti for her wedding, they must prove their worth. But after weeks of maturing, the product is so good that tastings spill over, and the entire stock is gone before its time. A feverish sahti hunt begins to find a new batch in time for the wedding.
At the film’s heart are the sahti sisters Elina Knihtilä and Pirjo Lonka, whose decades-long friendship strengthens the sisterly bond seen on the screen. In this, the most audience-friendly film in Teemu Nikki’s long career, we can find his signature cinematic genre references. But most importantly, Nikki brings a much-needed update to folk comedy. The bitter burdens of the past counterbalance the humour.
Never before in the 100-year history of Finnish cinema of alcohol have we tasted sahti with a score of a perfect ten, but now we are close.
Otto Kylmälä