100 Liters of Gold

Wednesday March 11 @ 7 pm

Comedy
Not Rated – 1hr 28min

An endearing black comedy set in the provinces of Finland, 100 Liters of Gold adopts the visual style of a ’60s Western. The prolific writer-director Teemu Nikki salutes his country’s (and his family’s) tradition of sahti-making, following two dysfunctional middle-aged sisters, third-generation makers of the Finnish farmhouse ale. Sahti is a must to mark births, weddings and funerals, as well as almost everything in between. Touching on issues such as alcoholism and family trauma, but with a light touch, Finland’s international Oscar submission provides a breath of fresh air (albeit one redolent with alcohol) amongst the serious dramas in this category.

In the village of Sysmä, two best sahti brewers are the sisters Pirkko (Elina Knihtilä) and Taina (Pirjo Lonka) who live together and have nothing much else to do than to compete with other brewers, usually male, including their own father. Pirkko likes to “get high on her own supply” to the point of erratic behaviour usually ending with a blackout, while Taina seems to be more sensible one, but she is guilt-ridden by the car accident that crippled their third sister Päivi (Ria Kataja). She is coming to the hometown to get married to artist Nestori (Jakob Öhrman) and she wants 100 litres of her sisters’ best brew for the party.

That is exactly what they do, following all the strict steps in the procedure, so their final batch is a “perfect ten”. Tasting it, they get carried away that they end in a days-long blackout realising that they drank or shared the whole 100 litres and burned all the money they owned on the side. They have only two days to get to the new batch of booze, with a side-quest of collecting all the debts from the people who owe them, to be able to pay for it. Given that they are in the middle of the feud with their primary competitor Poiju-Paavo they can rely only on the help of the polite, but awkward Hauki who is hopelessly in love with Pirkko.

A crazy adventure with boozing, quarrelling, fighting, theft, accidents and whatnot ensues, spiked with a tons of plot twists that often pull the proverbial rug under the feet of the viewers as well as the characters. The western-like accessories, such as the title design, the presence of the old, banged-up American cars, the cowboy hats and the “rautalanka” music that is basically a Finnish variant of the country-infused folk-rock, go perfectly hand in hand with the plot revolving around the small-town animosities and two sisters’ quest to make something right for once in the lifetime. The sun-lit landscape of the summertime also helps a lot with setting a good mood.

More than just a film about brewing, 100 Liters of Gold is a celebration of Finnish culture through its portrayal of sahti. By integrating humor with heartfelt storytelling, director Teemu Nikki crafts an unforgettable cinematic experience that highlights both the struggles and joys of preserving tradition in a modern world. The film’s ability to transcend its cultural roots while maintaining authenticity is what makes it truly resonate with audiences. No matter how cartoonish the action, the fine ensemble of actors plays it seriously, and you can see the intelligence shine from their eyes. 

Nikki maintains that he likes to cast before he writes, and with Knihtilä and Lonka, who work in theatre as well as film and television, he has a starring pair who give it their all. In the end, the silliness easily and organically transforms into warmth and a heart-felt experience, proving that he is a master storyteller who certainly knows a few things about human nature. It comes pretty close to the level of pure gold.