Mother of Mine

In the present, Eero has just returned from Sweden for Signe's funeral and sits down with his biological mother Kirsti to clear up their long-standing misunderstandings. Their conversation becomes a mirror of the choices and pain that have shaped their relationship. The scene introduces a candid examination of what it means to belong to both a mother and a son across time.

The story is set against the Winter War and the Continuation War. Eero's biological father, Kari-Pekka Toivonen, dies on the front, and Kirsti sinks into a deep depression. The war's brutality and loss cast a long shadow over the family.

As the war worsens, Kirsti sends Eero to Sweden to live with a Swedish family for safety. The departure marks the beginning of a long separation from his biological mother and from everything he knows. The move sets the stage for a new family and a clashing set of expectations.

In Sweden, Eero meets Hjalmar Jönsson, his wife Signe Jönsson, and a grandfather who cannot speak but can hear. He also befriends the neighbor's daughter Siv. The household welcomes him, but cultural and language differences complicate the initial years.

Signe becomes frustrated with Eero's reluctance to adjust and with the language barrier between them. She reveals that she lost her six-year-old daughter Elin two years earlier in a drowning accident, a trauma that colors her desire for a daughter of her own. This backstory adds emotional weight to her motherly ambitions.

There is a long struggle as Signe pushes Eero to learn Swedish and to adapt to a new life. He hesitates, fearing attachment and loss, while she persists in bridging the gap. Over time, small moments of care begin to form a fragile trust between them.

Gradually Signe starts to attach to the boy, and he begins to respond with care and trust. Their shared experiences soften the early resistance and nurture a tight mother-son relationship. The bond grows stronger as they navigate life together in exile.

With the war ending and Finland withdrawing, the children in Sweden are sent back to their homes in Finland. Eero faces leaving the family that had begun to feel like a home. The departure marks a crucial transition back to his biological mother's world.

Despite his longing to stay, Eero is returned to Helsinki to live with his biological mother. The deep bond with the Jönsson family makes the separation painful, and Signe resists the idea of parting. The move underscores the tension between political duty and personal attachments.

Eero settles back with Kirsti, and they begin to navigate a renewed yet fragile relationship. The years bring quiet reflection and a new understanding of their past. They confront the reality that the closeness they once imagined cannot simply be restored.

In later years, Eero tells Kirsti that their earlier closeness can never be recreated. He explains that as a child he feared closeness would mean losing everything again. The memory of his time in Skåne lingers as a turning point when Kirsti was not truly a mother to him anymore.

The return from Skåne remains a resonant moment in their lives, symbolizing the emotional distance that followed. The film frames abandonment fears as shaping how they relate to each other even years later.