The Life of Aleksis Kivi

In 1858, Aleksis Stenvall attends Amalia Rosencrantz's party in Helsinki with a bear he felled. He shocks the audience by reciting Suomenmaa in Finnish, breaking the convention that poetry should be in Swedish. The event also features performances of Bonden Paavo and Vårt land, underscoring his bold linguistic stance.

At the Helsinki carnival, Aleksis meets Albina Palmqvist and the two become acquainted. Senator J. V. Snellman presents the idea of creating Finnish-language culture and literature, igniting debate about national language. Albina views Finnish as a losing national language, setting up a key ideological clash.

Aleksis invites Albina to his home village Palojoki and proposes marriage, hoping to unite their futures. Amalia Rosencrantz expresses a negative attitude to the engagement, dampening his hopes. Aleksis leaves upset, caught between longing and social constraint.

Five years pass as Aleksis abandons the priestly path to become a writer under the pen name Aleksis Kivi. He engages in a fiery language dispute with pro-Swedish Henrik Lax at the university, culminating in a fight. Professor Cygnaeus calms the situation just before August Ahlqvist arrives with the gendarmes.

Cygnaeus introduces Kivi, already famous for his Kullervo, to the influential August Ahlqvist. Akiw's sharp wit prompts Kivi to poke fun at Ahlqvist, and Cygnaeus urges him not to make an enemy of such a powerful man. The meeting marks a turning point in Kivi's standing with the Finnish literary establishment.

Kivi writes Heath Cobblers in the yard of widow Charlotta Lönnqvist's cottage in Fanjunkars, Siuntio. He argues with the neighboring host Mr. Skog about the status of the Finnish language. Charlotta falls in love with the passionate artist, adding a personal dimension to his creative struggle.

The Imperial Senate issues a letter of order for the National Literary Competition. Runeberg's supporters and Ahlqvist celebrate the contest, but on Cygnaeus's suggestion Kivi's Heath Cobblers is named the recipient of the 2,500 Finnish-mark state award, much to Ahlqvist's irritation.

Nervander organizes a party where Kaarlo Bergbom promises to found a Finnish-language theatre if Kivi writes plays to be performed. Cygnaeus raises a toast to Kivi and to Finnish culture, celebrating national artistic ambition. The celebration is interrupted by the news that Aleksis's father is dying, casting a somber note over the gathering.

The famine years begin, and by 1868 around 140,000 people die in Finland. The estate of Fanjunkars faces bankruptcy due to mounting debts, and Mr. Skog blames Aleksis for the predicament. Rumors of scandal circulate as Charlotta's reputation becomes entangled with his troubles.

Aleksis defends Charlotta's honor amid the financial and social pressures of the time. He promises to obtain the money owed and to protect her reputation. The exchange underscores the personal stakes behind his broader cultural mission.

Bergbom directs Kivi's Lea, marking the first theatre performance in Finnish. The production becomes a milestone in Finnish-language culture, validating Kivi's literary efforts. The event cements the rising national theatre movement within the broader language debate.

Kivi throws himself into his work, writing day and night in a garden cabin about what would become his first and only novel, The Seven Men. He frantically refines the manuscript, ultimately renaming it The Seven Brothers. Charlotta finds him unconscious, a vivid image of the writer's tormented genius.

After publication, Ahlqvist delivers a slanderous review that tarnishes the work and reputation. Emil and Bergbom remind Cygnaeus and Ahlqvist that they hired Kivi to create Finnish literature, and he is effectively abandoned to a mental hospital. The personal and professional pressures converge into a dark chapter of his life.

In 1872, Emil and Aleksis's brother retrieve him from the mental hospital. The doctor notes that he is not crazy in the clinical sense, but weakened by typhoid fever and years of heavy drinking. The summer finds him at his brother's home in Tuusula, where he slowly regains some strength.

While resting in Tuusula, he walks into the forest and climbs a rock, gazing at the circle of the world. The film ends with a citation of the Squirrel's Song from The Seven Brothers, leaving a poetic imprint of his enduring legacy. His final moments emphasize the connection between his life, his literature, and the land he helped define.