Rahti


Rahti, is a Finnish eight-part crime drama television miniseries, 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 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 Eritrean refugee, who is fleeing local soldiers. On her journey to Finland, where her father Sammy lives, she is separated from her husband Aman and daughter Liah. In Finland, Riku steals Sammy's van without knowing it has a refugee family hidden inside.

Cast

Sources:
  • as Kiki Selam: former Eritrean 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
  • Oona Airola 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

Varietys 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 move 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."