Conflict (Finnish: Konflikti) is a Finnish TV miniseries with six-parts directed by Aku Louhimies. It began airing on 30 November 2024 on the MTV3 television channel and on the MTV Katsomo streaming service. In addition to Louhimies, the series was written by Andrei Alén, Jari Rantala and Helena Immonen. The series imagines a scenario where an unidentified enemy invades Hankoniemi during midsummer celebrations, and follows the resulting conflict through the lens of the country's leadership and among those who remain in Hanko on the occupied territory.
The first episode of the series reached more than a million people in its first week of presentation. The licensing rights of the series were sold to several European countries, including France, Poland, Spain and the Baltic states, and in Ukraine where, according to Louhimies, the series was licensed without compensation.
Contents
Cast
Government
Sara Soulié as President Linnea Saaristo, the newly elected head of state and Laavakuru's former protégé
Pirkka-Pekka Petelius as Prime Minister Kai Laavakuru, the head of government and former Minister for Foreign Affairs. Before filming the series, Petelius had served as an MP in the Finnish Parliament, in the parliamentary lineup which brought Finland into NATO, though he had been absent from the vote to apply for membership.
Jannika Niilerpalo as Noora, the President's police bodyguard
Sandra Hagelstam as Mia Taanila, chief of staff to Prime Minister Laavakuru
Military
Peter Franzén as Captain Rami Ohrankämmen, the commander of a conscript battalion and Afghanistan veteran
Julia Korpinen as Officer Cadet Annika Berg, a conscript and trainee squad leader
Akseli Kouki as Officer Cadet Kim Kontiainen, a conscript and Berg's boyfriend
Charles Gibbons as Private Jeff Williams, a Finnish-American conscript in Berg's squad and grandson of the U.S. Speaker of the House Merrill Williams
Salah Isse Mohamed as Private Youssuf Osman, a conscript in Berg's squad
Elias Gould as Sergeant Samuli Haju, a conscript captured by the invaders
Reetta Ylä-Rautio as Corporal Siiri Skog, a conscript captured by the invaders
Aleksi Kaukamo as Private Juuso Jaakkola, a hot headed conscript
Akseli Ilvesniemi as Undersergeant Matti Rannila, a conscript
Salomon Z. Patrick as Private Ilmari Laine, a conscript
Hector Björklund as Private Antti Suuros, a conscript
Elias Keränen as Lieutenant Kiiskinen, Ohrankämmen's second in command
Vincent Willestrand as Staff Sergeant Merinen, an NCO and Ohrankämmen's third in command
Jukka Puotila as General Parviainen, the Chief of Defence
Civilians
Rory Fleck Byrne as Joshua Belfort, the American husband of Linnea Saaristo
Nadia Forde as Claire Belfort, Joshua's sister trapped in Hanko
Luke Sharland as Terrance Belfort, Claire's husband
Arttu Kapulainen as Jusa Soranen, a resident of Hanko and former soldier who served with Ohrankämmen
Alyona Osmanova as Amanda Soranen, Jusa's Ukrainian wife
Larry Lamb as Sir Martin Wright, an influential British power broker nicknamed "Mr. Davos"
Episodes
Reception
Conflict was awarded at the Kultainen Venla gala in January 2025 for best drama series of the previous year and Aku Louhimies for best fiction director. Louhimies was also nominated for his script.
The series was met with mixed reception from critics and the public where both criticism and praise were given partly for the same things. Its veracity and relevance to the current events facts of harassment that took place in the Russian Baltic Sea at the same time provoked most discussion. However, Louhimies stated that he had cut many events that seemed too current from the script. The prominent role of the Finnish Defense Forces in the series was noted to increase its perceived frightening realism, although film critic Kalle Kinnunen saw the series as a useless and idle equipment presentation of the defense forces. Sports and cultural influencer Alpo Suhonen was likewise negative, considered the series "nauseating militarism, in rally English". On the one hand, the casting of female actors as key political decision-makers in Finland was praised, but on the other hand, the introduction of the two most important female characters through sex scenes at the beginning of the series was criticized.
