It could be the same old story: a well-off family in a beautiful home in the city. Juulia (Alma Pöysti) is a successful Member of Parliament and Matias (Eero Milonoff) is a priest who feels the pull of worldly temptations. Matias gets caught up in an affair with Enni (Oona Airola). And that’s that – but what if it wasn’t?
Patiently, the trio begin to explore the possibilities of polyamory. Juulia finds a new lover, a nonbinary cabaret artist called Miska (Pietu Wikström). Love expands life and being but can still be hindered by fears and insecurities.
It’s the details that make Four Little Adults a valuable time capsule for the issues of the 2020s: polyamory, self-help literature, irritable bowel syndrome, and recreational drug use. It also charts a widening understanding of the spectrums of gender, sexuality, and relationships. Vilhunen’s most timeless reflections cover freedom, responsibility, esteem, and inequality: Whose call will be answered during Christmas dinner? Why does one get diamond earrings, and the other plywood ones?
Tytti Rantanen