''Rahti'' (''Cargo''), is a Finnish eight-part crime drama

television miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

, which was broadcast on Yle TV1 from 3 September 2021. The series is based on an idea by Matti Kinnunen, who is also the director and a scriptwriter. It was co-written by

Veikko Aaltonen Veikko Aaltonen (born 1 December 1955 in Sääksmäki, Finland) is a Finnish director, editor, sound editor, production manager and film and television writer and actor. Aaltonen began his career in the mid-1970s working as a sound editor on v ...

and . Filming began in 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scenes were shot in Finland, Italy and Malta. ''Rahti'' was nominated for Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize for best screenplay of a Nordic drama series. The main protagonist, Kiki (), is an

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

n refugee, who is fleeing local soldiers. On her journey to Finland, where her father Sammy () lives, she is separated from her husband Aman (Geoffrey Erista) and daughter Liah (Ariela Francis). In Finland, Riku () steals Sammy's van without knowing it has a refugee family hidden inside.

Plot

Kiki is discovered harbouring her deserter sister-in-law by authorities. Kiki and her family flee

. They head towards Finland, where Kiki's father Sammy lives. Sammy's van is stolen by scrap yard dealer Riku. Sammy hid Syrian refugees Bushra, Jawad and Rayan inside. Riku and his brother Joni house the refugee family. Kiki is separated from her husband Aman and daughter Liah as they leave Africa. Kiki travels across the Mediterranean Sea to Italy and thence to Germany. Sammy tracks down Riku and hires him to collect Kiki. Sammy is arrested for people smuggling. Human traffickers led by Sharif transport Aman, Liah and other refugees towards Finland. Riku brings Kiki to Finland. Aman drowns and Liah is taken by Sharif's associates Jorge and Yonah. Yonah is Sammy's nephew but he tells his girlfriend Barbara to take Liah to Sweden where she is sold online as "Lilly". Riku leaves seriously ill Rayan at a health centre, where they determine he requires a kidney transplant. Refugee lawyer Maria becomes Rayan's legal guardian. Bushra's brother Kamal approaches Sharif for money to fund Bushra. Sharif requires Kamal to take in unregistered refugees as boarders.

Cast and characters

Sources: * as Kiki Selam: former

n army staff sergeant, café owner; becomes a refugee * as Riku Railo: scrap yard owner, car thief * as Sammy: Kiki's father, Finnish resident, people smuggler * as Maria Korpi-Heikkilä: Refugee Protection lawyer * as Joni: Riku's younger brother, student * Yasmin Ahsanullah as Bushra Hanano: Syrian refugee, mother, held by Riku * Boodi Kabbani as Jawad Saleh: Bushra's husband, refugee, held by Riku * Jalal Hajali as Kamal Hanano: Bushra's brother, Maria's interpreter * Ona Huczkowski as Sarah: Aman's sister, army deserter, killed by soldier * Geoffrey Erista as Aman: Kiki's husband, dies by drowning * Ariela Francis as Liah / "Lilly": Kiki's four-year-old daughter, sold as Lilly by traffickers * Rufaro Rwambiwa as Yonah: Sharif's henchman, Kiki's cousin, killed by Jorge * as Petteri: Maria's husband * Janette Hirvonen as Jenna: Joni's love interest * Robin Kawa as Jorge: Sharif's henchman * David Kozma as Sharif: human trafficking crime lord * Ladwn Shakarchi as Rama Saleh: Bushra's daughter * Luka Pajuhi as Rayan Saleh: Bushra's son, left by Riku at health centre, * Emilia Neuvonen as Barbara: Yonah's girlfriend, works for Sharif * David Leguesse as Samir

Reception

'' Variety''s John Hopewell described ''Cargo'' as "compelling, edge-of-the-seat series charting the desperate plight of illegal immigrants, in line with other taut social issue thrillers". Leena Reikko of ''Kulttuuritoimitus'' observed that ''Rahti'', whilst well-made, did not address vital issues about human trafficking: "Some riminalsmove these people, some direct the cargoes that carry them. Who? They are not the guys who, in ports, shove those who have bought their voyages into unseaworthy vessels. Nor are the cargoes controlled by a long chain of petty criminals who get their own crumbs from this tray. However, someone is controlling this, and some are profiting from it."

Episodes

References

External links

* {{IMDb title , tt15361062 2021 Finnish television series debuts 2020s crime television series Finnish drama television series Yle original programming Works about refugees in Finland Finnish television miniseries