Red Beast (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

Red Beast follows Finnish labour leader Eetu Salin as he confronts personal struggles and internal party tensions while defending peaceful class struggle. Set against the political pressures surrounding the Finnish Civil War, this 2026 historical drama focuses on competing visions for the working-class movement and the people shaping Finland’s future.

Red Beast is a Finnish historical drama centered on Eetu Salin, a working-class agitator and founding figure of the Finnish Social Democratic Party. His political convictions place him between advocates of peaceful reform and younger radicals pushing the movement toward confrontation.

Alongside his personal battles with childhood trauma and alcoholism, Eetu works with Väinö Tanner and Yrjö Mäkelin to prevent Finland’s working class from being pulled into a violent revolution. The film is scheduled for release on October 2, 2026.

Red Beast movie details

Story without spoilers

The film presents Eetu Salin at a moment of intense political and personal pressure. As a prominent voice in Finland’s labour movement, he supports class struggle through peaceful means, but his position is challenged by younger socialists competing for influence within the party.

Eetu’s political responsibilities are complicated by unresolved childhood trauma and alcoholism. With allies Väinö Tanner and Yrjö Mäkelin, he attempts to hold the working-class movement back from violence as wider tensions point toward revolution and civil conflict. The story draws on real historical figures and the labour movement in Finland.

What to expect

Red Beast combines biographical drama with Finnish political history. Its focus is the conflict between peaceful and violent approaches to social change, alongside the internal power struggles of a political party. The premise also gives the film a personal dimension through Eetu Salin’s experiences with trauma and alcoholism.

The historical setting includes the Finnish labour movement and the tensions associated with the Finnish Civil War. Viewers can expect a drama concerned with political conviction, ideological division and the difficult relationship between private hardship and public leadership.

Cast and creative team

Jan-Henrik Holmlund plays Eetu Salin, with Marju Kauppinen as Ida Salin. Antti-Jussi Marjamäki portrays Väinö Tanner, while Roope Olenius plays Yrjö Mäkelin. The cast also includes Veera W. Vilo as Linda Tanner, Jari Manninen as J. H. Vennola, Janne Puustinen as Kullervo Manner, Enni Ojutkangas as Eetu’s mother Anna, Jaakko Hutchings as C. G. E. Mannerheim and Matti Mustonen as Kössi Kaatra.

Antti-Jussi Marjamäki and Veera W. Vilo direct the film. Marjamäki co-wrote the screenplay with Toni Lesonen.

• Jan-Henrik Holmlund as Eetu Salin
• Marju Kauppinen as Ida Salin
• Antti-Jussi Marjamäki as Väinö Tanner
• Roope Olenius as Yrjö Mäkelin
• Veera W. Vilo as Linda Tanner
• Jari Manninen as J. H. Vennola
• Janne Puustinen as Kullervo Manner
• Enni Ojutkangas as Eetu's Mother Anna
• Jaakko Hutchings as C. G. E. Mannerheim
• Matti Mustonen as Kössi Kaatra

Release and production context

Red Beast, originally titled Punainen peto, is a 2026 film in Finnish. It is listed as a drama and history production with a runtime of 1 hour and 51 minutes. The scheduled release date is October 2, 2026. The supplied information does not identify a production country or production company.

Movies Dock view

With its focus on Eetu Salin and the competing directions of Finland’s labour movement, Red Beast places a historical political conflict alongside the struggles of one of its central figures. Its subject matter connects personal adversity, party politics and the threat of revolution without revealing how the story concludes.

Film data:
TMDB · IMDb