Character Relationship Map: Headfirst

Characters

• Essi Kurhinen (played by Armi Toivanen) — protagonist

  Essi is the film’s central student, treated as a problem child at school for suspected drug use, aggression, defiance, and refusal to cooperate. Her dangerous behavior and later disappearance expose d...

• Sakke (played by Kai Lehtinen) — supporting

  Sakke is one of the teenagers involved in the school’s drug culture, dealing weed and speed with other young people. His activities place him within the hostile environment surrounding Essi and show h...

• Tiina 'Takku' Kurhinen (played by Mimosa Willamo) — supporting

  Tiina is Essi’s mother and one of the adults confronting the family’s painful past. She explains that Essi was born into rejection and confusion, admits her own earlier resentment and desire to escape...

• Matti Kurhinen (played by Toni Harjajärvi) — minor

  Matti is an estranged older relative who reappears in the family’s life. His return brings conversations about grandparents, absent parents, addiction, and old wounds, helping expose the history behin...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Matti Kurhinen → Essi Kurhinen (Family Older Relative) — Matti's return reconnects Essi to a troubled and largely avoided family past.

  Matti is described as an estranged older relative who reappears as the family confronts its unresolved history.

• Tiina 'Takku' Kurhinen → Essi Kurhinen (Family Mother) — Their mother-daughter bond is damaged by the past but remains central to the story.

  Tiina explains that Essi is her daughter and describes the rejection and confusion surrounding Essi's birth.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Essi Kurhinen → Sakke (Social Drug-Culture Associate) — Sakke is connected to the risky school-based drug environment surrounding Essi.

  Essi becomes involved with the drug culture around the school, where Sakke and other teenagers deal weed and speed.

Story Analysis

A troubled teenager and her family confront rejection, abandonment, and the difficult choice to remain connected.

Plot Progression

1. A School Built on Hostility — Essi is treated as a problem child after a smoking accusation, detention, and repeated defiance. School punishment and the threat of Child Protective Services increase the pressure around her.
2. Danger Behind the Rules — Essi becomes connected to the drug culture around Sakke and other teenagers. Adult surveillance and proposed supervision fail to resolve the hostility and expose the limits of control.
3. The Family's Buried Wounds — Matti's return brings the family's unresolved history into the open. Tiina describes Essi's rejected beginnings, her own resentment, and the decision to stand by her daughter.
4. Searching Through Despair — Essi disappears, and Tiina searches through the streets and forest. Their conversations confront despair, abandonment, and the possibility of fragile loyalty.