Saagar Kote
‘Nightborn’ or ‘ Yön lapsi’ follows Saga, who returns to her childhood home next to a forest in Finland, with her British husband, Jon, hoping to build the family they have always wanted. Their dream seems complete with the birth of their male child, but Saga soon becomes convinced that something is terribly wrong with their newborn. While those around her dismiss her fears and reassure her that everything is normal, Jon struggles to understand what his wife is going through, creating a growing distance between them.
Left to confront her disturbing suspicions on her own, Saga is forced to question the terrifying truth about her son as the cracks in their marriage continue to widen. Despite attempts to pacify him, the child grows increasingly violent, displaying strange and inexplicable behavior. Amidst all the chaos, the forest seems to have a mind of its own, threatening to unravel a terrifying truth. With dangers mounting, the futures of the parents and the child remain uncertain. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Nightborn Plot Synopsis
Jon and Saga are a married couple who love each other deeply. They move into Saga’s late grandmother’s house, situated next to a forest in Finland. Jon gives up his life in London to start a new chapter with his Finnish wife. After the two have sex in the forest, Saga gets pregnant and gives birth to a baby boy months later. While Jon is happy to see his son, the mother begins to suspect that something is not right with the infant. At home, the child starts behaving strangely, refusing to face sunlight, and crying in a seemingly unnatural voice. When Saga tries to breastfeed the baby, he bites her violently and starts drinking blood. Despite this, the mother repeatedly tries to feed her child but is bitten every time. Saga’s mother, sister Taru, and Taru’s kid Anna visit her.
Saga’s mother realizes that her daughter is having a tough time dealing with the kid. The child violently bites off a part of Saga’s mother’s ear when she tries to hold him. Although Jon understands that his wife is facing difficulties, he assumes that this is just normal after childbirth. During the naming ceremony, Saga feels that the forest is talking to her and names the kid Kuura, despite her and Jon deciding on a different name earlier. Kuura continues to reject human food, while also displaying affection towards a sapling growing through the house’s floor. Saga begins to feel that her child is not a normal human being and starts referring to Kuura as “it,” much to Jon’s dismay.
When deeply religious parents visit, Kuura displays resistance to holy water. The child develops bruises after being held by Jon’s father, who is a pastor. The parents leave in a state of shock, realizing that something is wrong with Kuura. The baby continues to display aggressive behavior, biting off his cousin Anna’s finger, to the utter shock of Taru. Saga refuses to breastfeed her child anymore to avoid injuries to herself. The mother also starts feeding raw animal meat and cow’s blood to the child, which Kuura readily consumes. The baby also starts walking, which is highly unusual for a child less than a year old.
Saga hopes to avoid spending much time with her kid but finds it difficult, feeling as though she is somehow being drawn towards Kuura. During a walk in the woods, Kuura eats a dead animal with ease, shocking the mother. The relationship between the mother and child grows more complicated than before. Jon is frustrated with his wife, and the couple grows distant. Their journey takes an unexpected turn when Jon tells Saga that he wants full and exclusive custody of Kuura and hopes to move away from the forest.
Nightborn Ending: Who Kills Jon? Why?
Jon grows increasingly worried about the way Saga is raising baby Kuura. The frustrated father is shocked when his son refuses to eat human food, despite repeated attempts to feed him. A disturbing truth unfolds in front of Jon’s eyes, which leaves him perplexed. The father gets hold of peanut butter and tries to make Kuura eat it, but fails. Saga knows that her son doesn’t really eat human food and starts laughing at her husband’s attempts. Later, Kuura bites into a piece of raw animal meat that his mother places on the table. Jon is now in a state of utter confusion, struggling to understand why the child is behaving so. The angry father then confronts his wife and accuses her of not raising the kid well. Angrier than ever, Jon tells Saga that he doesn’t want her to raise the kid and that he will take him away.
Despite knowing that Kuura is a dangerous individual connected to the forest, Saga insists on retaining custody. The situation becomes violent when Jon reveals that he wants to have complete custody over Kuura, and the wife refuses. When Jon tries to take the baby away, Saga resists and starts fighting, with Kuura watching the two. The physical confrontation becomes more intense and threatening. When Saga is on the verge of being overwhelmed by her husband’s strength, baby Kuura makes his true power known. Kuura lifts both his hands and summons the forest. The trees and branches cut through the house’s walls, destroying it. The kid’s supernatural intervention also leads to a shocking moment.
With the trees and branches now within the wall of the house, the fight between Saga and her husband is broken, pushing the two apart. However, Jon is impaled by one of the trees, killing him instantly. Though the wife is now safe from her husband, what she witnessed leaves her in shock. Kuura uses his supernatural connection to the forest to save his mother, while also revealing who he truly is: a special entity. It is likely that the kid realized that Jon would prevent him from being his true self and connecting with the woods. Thus, Kuura’s overwhelming show of force comes from multiple motivations, paving the path for his true destiny.
Is Kuura a Troll? What is Saga’s True Nature?
Finnish legends and tales of the forest are integral to understanding the realities of both Kuura and Saga. Saga’s mother establishes that her daughter behaved “strangely” in her childhood. Saga also reveals that she would sneak into the forest despite her grandmother keeping an eye on her. The forest has a deep, horrifying, and supernatural connection to Saga and her son. When Saga and Jon have sex in the woods, it leads to the latter’s pregnancy. During sex, Saga stares at the tree above her, establishing a connection. It is strongly hinted that Saga, just like her son, would behave violently during her childhood. When Jon’s parents visit their son and daughter-in-law, Jon’s mother says something to Saga that conveys the deeper meaning of a local Finnish legend.
Jon’s mother reveals a legend that says “trolls from the forest take away children who are not raised well.” She also says that many families in Finland have troll blood flowing in their veins because of the kids being taken away. In Kuura’s case, this is his reality, as he has troll blood in him. This is also true for Saga, who most likely inherited the special blood from her ancestors. Saga’s mother and sister don’t have a connection to the forest, which indicates that the blood works in mysterious ways and doesn’t affect everyone equally. Kuura inherits the blood from his mother, who is unaware of her own truth. While Kuura is beyond any human control, the same cannot be said for his mother. Saga was controlled by her mother during childhood, which suppressed her true identity.
As a result, Saga grows up suppressing her supernatural connection. Despite sneaking into the forest and evading her grandmother’s observant eyes, Saga ultimately loses her special link to the woods when she goes away and becomes an urban dweller. However, returning to the forest reawakens the supernatural link. She also tells her husband that the forest answers when she talks to it. After Jon’s death, Kuura starts eating his dead father’s flesh, and Saga joins him to do the same. The mother rips out her husband’s heart and devours it, acknowledging that she and her son share the same nature. They are trolls whose true home is in the forests, with the trees and fellow trolls. While they are both also human, their fate is to ultimately merge with the forest.
A crucial part of the supernatural link is the tree within the house. For many years, a sapling, as an extension of the forest, tries to grow within Saga’s house, but is suppressed. It manages to grow through the floor, but never reaches full size. Baby Kuura cries out for the sapling, hoping it will grow into a large tree and become part of the house. While saving his mother, the kid ensures that the tree truly merges with the house, completing the unique connection. The mother and son, despite their relationship undergoing crises, ultimately realize that they indeed have a bond shaped by nature, stronger than body, mind, and soul.
Does Kuura Merge With the Forest? What Happens to Saga?
After Jon’s death, Saga gives up all attempts to control Kuura. The mother and son are no longer hostile towards each other because they share a supernatural connection. Kuura, now able to walk, strips off his clothes and walks naked towards the forest. Saga sees her son moving away from her and into the woods, but chooses not to stop him. At this moment, trolls who have merged with the trees make their presence known. They welcome Kuura into the forest, where he, too, will ultimately merge with the trees and complete his journey. Saga realizes that it is her kid’s destiny and that she should not do anything to prevent it. Kuura smiles at his mother and happily walks into the forest, embracing his future as a troll. While Saga doesn’t walk into the woods, she smiles, realizing that destiny is not hers to control.
It is likely that she will eventually be ready to merge with the forest, as it is where her son will forever be. Having moved beyond her husband’s and mother’s influence, she is now free to embrace her truth. While Kuura’s journey is one of fate and inevitability, Saga’s experiences lead her towards the acceptance of destiny. Essentially, liberation for Saga and Kuura stems from acknowledging the truth and accepting their fate without hindrance and doubt. Though it is achieved through violence, the mother and son finally find peace.
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