| Alt Name: | Cargo |
| Genre: | Crime drama |
| Creator: | Matti Kinnunen |
| Director: | Matti Kinnunen |
| Music: | Olli Huhtanen |
| Country: | Finland |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 8 |
| Runtime: | 45 min. |
| Company: | FremantleMedia Finland |
| Network: | Yle TV1 |
| Producer: | Rea Dominicy, Matti Kajander |
Rahti (Cargo), is a Finnish eight-part crime drama television miniseries, which was broadcast on Yle TV1 from 3 September 2021.[1] 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.[2] 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 (Geoffrey Erista) and daughter Liah (Ariela Francis).[3] In Finland, Riku steals Sammy's van without knowing it has a refugee family hidden inside.[4]
Kiki is discovered harbouring her deserter sister-in-law by authorities. Kiki and her family flee Eritrea. 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.
Sources:[5]
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 [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."[6]