Four Little Adults

These days, polyamory seems to be associated almost exclusively with the alternative lifestyle mindset of Gen Z. But maybe some of us who’ve already been around a few blocks and tried out a thing or two in terms of partnerships also find the standard couple set-up pretty limiting for the ways we feel and desire. Enter Selma Vilhunen’s Four Little Adults, in which a group of middle-aged folks (one of them a pastor!) decide that it’s time to break with society’s norms and prejudices about the way sex and togetherness supposedly work. Only to find out that there is an alternative, and it’s good! The genius of Four Little Adults lies in Vilhunen’s optimism and belief in people’s ability to make something less common work well for everybody. It’s something she presents cinematically as the most normal of occurrences, as the film is directed in the most humble, straight-forward, classical fashion with lovely comedic and occasional dramatic touches that give the characters something well-rounded and relatable. This is important here, because Vilhunen is saying that you could do this as well. (International Film Festival Rotterdam)