Rahti (Cargo), 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 Johanna Hartikainen. 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 (Evelyn Rasmussen Osazuwa), is an Eritrean refugee, who is fleeing local soldiers. On her journey to Finland, where her father Sammy (Alain Azerot) lives, she is separated from her husband Aman (Geoffrey Erista) and daughter Liah (Ariela Francis). In Finland, Riku (Johannes Holopainen) steals Sammy's van without knowing it has a refugee family hidden inside.
Contents
Cast
Sources:
Evelyn Rasmussen Osazuwa as Kiki Selam: former Eritrean army staff sergeant, café owner; becomes a refugee
Johannes Holopainen as Riku Railo: scrap yard owner, car thief
Alain Azerot as Sammy: Kiki's father, Finnish resident, people smuggler
Oona Airola as Maria Korpi-Heikkilä: Refugee Protection lawyer
Amos Brotherus 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
Tommi Rantamäki 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 [criminals] 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."