SILENT TRILOGY (consists of three short films: “Romu-Mattila and the Beautiful Woman,” “The Moonshiners,” and “The Distant Planet”)

Mattila, who suddenly loses his home, meets a mysterious and beautiful woman in a bar. A brother and sister inherit the cornerstone of well-being from their father — a moonshine still. Marlanda and Maximilian live peacefully as lighthouse keepers until their dog Bulla goes missing and the lighthouse light goes out.

“Romu-Mattila and the Beautiful Woman,” “The Moonshiners,” and “The Distant Planet” are three short films by Juho Kuosmanen, made over the course of 12 years. All are done in the style of silent cinema and share the same warm humor that brought him acclaim among Estonians as well, thanks to his hit “Compartment No. 6.” Kuosmanen clearly loves both his characters and the history of film. No wonder one of the supporters credited in the films is none other than Aki Kaurismäki.

Now, these three gently interlinked short films have been compiled into one feature-length format, brought as if from a hundred years ago into the present day — to remind us how films were made back when cinema may have been more black-and-white, but the grass was greener.