Karelia in the 12th century. The feud between Kalervo and Untamo leads to the massacre of an entire village. The only survivor is Kalervo's son Kullervo, whom Untamo decides to raise as his own. As he grows up, Kullervo's brute strength and rebellious nature make him dangerous, and the villagers want to get rid of him for good. Kullervo spends his entire life searching for a purpose for his existence and skills. When the events of the past are revealed to him, his fate is clear. The path of revenge leads Kullervo to confront Untamo and force him to account for his sins.
Cinematography
Brutal beauty of Finnish wilderness as character itself.
Acting
Elias Salonen's physical transformation from boy to weapon.
Production
Authentic Iron Age detail that makes history feel immediate.
Director
Antti J. Jokinen
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Kalevala, compiled in 1835, is Finland's national epic and crucial to Finnish identity—this adaptation finally gives Kullervo, its darkest chapter, the brutal prestige treatment it deserves.
Tolkien was obsessed with the Kullervo story and called it 'the germ of my attempt to write legends of my own'—this film is basically the ancestor of Turin Turambar's entire depressing existence.
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