Character Relationship Map: Frozen City

Characters

• Veli-Matti Lehtonen (played by Janne Virtanen) — protagonist

  Veli-Matti Lehtonen is the central character, a taxi driver struggling with exhausting work, poverty, unstable housing, and loneliness while trying to remain a father to Aada, Santtu, and Viivi. He ca...

• Hanna (played by Susanna Anteroinen) — supporting

  Hanna is the children’s mother and Veli-Matti Lehtonen’s former partner. She has left the family, refuses to let him keep a key to their former home, and takes control of the children’s living arrange...

• Aada (played by Aada Hämes) — supporting

  Aada is one of Veli-Matti Lehtonen’s children. She shares family moments such as baking and imaginative games during the apartment’s power cut, and Veli-Matti later buys her a guinea pig for her birth...

• Santtu (played by Santeri Nuutinen) — supporting

  Santtu is one of Veli-Matti Lehtonen’s children and part of the family life he struggles to preserve. Veli-Matti spends time with the children at home, trying to create ordinary experiences through ba...

• Viivi (played by Viivi Hämes) — supporting

  Viivi is one of Veli-Matti Lehtonen’s children and belongs to the family he is desperate to remain involved with. Veli-Matti tries to maintain a normal home life for the children through shared baking...

• Leena (played by Hannele Lauri) — supporting

  Leena helps care for Aada, Santtu, and Viivi while Veli-Matti Lehtonen continues working long taxi shifts. Her support is part of the family’s fragile childcare arrangement, especially as Veli-Matti s...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Veli-Matti Lehtonen → Viivi (Family Father) — Veli-Matti Lehtonen remains emotionally attached to Viivi despite separation from the family home.

  Viivi is identified as one of Veli-Matti Lehtonen's three children, whom he tries to visit and support.

• Veli-Matti Lehtonen → Santtu (Family Father) — Their father-child bond is strained by custody and housing problems.

  Santtu is explicitly listed among Veli-Matti Lehtonen's three children, and Veli-Matti attempts to preserve family life with him.

• Veli-Matti Lehtonen → Aada (Family Father) — Veli-Matti Lehtonen is Aada's father and struggles to maintain contact with her.

  The plot identifies Aada as one of Veli-Matti Lehtonen's three children, whom he tries to care for and remain involved with.

Story Dynamics

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

• Veli-Matti Lehtonen → Leena (Alliance Family Supporter) — Leena provides practical support that helps Veli-Matti remain connected to the children.

  Leena helps care for Veli-Matti's children while he continues working to survive.

• Leena → Viivi (Alliance Caregiver) — Leena functions as a supporting caregiver for Viivi.

  The plot says Leena helps care for the children, including Viivi.

• Leena → Santtu (Alliance Caregiver) — Leena provides practical support to Santtu during the family disruption.

  Leena helps care for Veli-Matti's children, including Santtu.

• Leena → Aada (Alliance Caregiver) — Leena supports Aada's daily care while the family situation is unstable.

  The plot states that Leena helps care for the children, including Aada.

• Veli-Matti Lehtonen → Hanna (Social Former Family Partners) — Their former domestic relationship has deteriorated into emotional and practical separation.

  Hanna has left the family and refuses to let Veli-Matti keep a key to their former home.

Story Analysis

A struggling father fights to preserve his family bonds while poverty, custody conflict, and emotional separation erode his place in his children's lives.

Plot Progression

1. A Father Under Pressure — Veli-Matti works exhausting taxi shifts while trying to create a normal home life with his three children. Poverty, loneliness, and the powerless apartment establish the family's fragile stability.
2. The Family Splinters — Hanna leaves the family and denies Veli-Matti access to their former home. Control over the children's living arrangements shifts away from him, making his parental role increasingly uncertain.
3. Rights Against Reality — A custody meeting forces Veli-Matti to defend his role as a father. His anger cannot overcome the practical evidence of unstable housing and financial hardship.
4. A Precarious New Home — Veli-Matti moves into a small studio and struggles with basic expenses. The guinea pig bought for Aada becomes another source of complaints and pressure rather than uncomplicated comfort.
5. Separation Without Closure — A supervised visit shows Veli-Matti trying to preserve his bond with the children. The closing conversation and references to new commitments suggest that the family may not be recoverable.