Aahana Swrup
Hallmark’s ‘The Finnish Line’ is an adventure rom-com film in which love is found even when one isn’t looking for it. Anya Kivelä is the daughter of a former sled dog racer who retired after a brutal loss against Mounty White. Therefore, the stakes couldn’t be higher decades later, when the daughter takes on the same competition and faces off against her father’s old nemesis. Nevertheless, things go south quickly after her lead dog, Cupid, sustains an injury that puts him out of commission for the rest of the competition. Fortunately for Anya, a journalist at the event, Cole Olson—former sled dog racer—has a fully trained canine, Roux, that can jump in at the rescue. However, in order for that to work, the racer must shed her trust issues and find a way to let Cole into her life. SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Finnish Line: The Wintery Rom-com in Which Races and Hearts Are Won
‘The Finnish Line’ offers an excellently well-rounded story in which the audience will find themselves giddily tagging along to every narrative twist and turn. The central focus remains on Anya Kivelä, a legacy racer who has a lot riding on her participation in Finland’s Joulurauha Race. From avenging her family’s name against a generational foe to cementing her own identity in the competitive world of sled dog racing—the athlete cannot stand to lose. For the same reason, the inciting conflict—Cupid’s injury caused by Monty’s unscrupulous tactics—delves that much more of a blow to her plans. Similarly, the stakes also inform the gravity of Cole’s character as he and his pawed pal swoop in to save the day.
From there, the plot lines that are set up, including the driving conflicts, inter-character subplots, and convenient excuses for some romantic ventures, all remain well-established and probable. As a result, a sense of ease is added to the narrative’s flow. The chemistry between the main leads, Anya and Cole, also remains grounded and devoid of avoidable drama, allowing their romance to feel natural in its gradual progression. In fact, the secondary romance the story offers—between the racer’s go-lucky best friend, Elyse, and shy cousin, Lavi—also remains well-written and engaging. If any complaints were to be had, they would lie with the almost comically villianish antagonist, Monty White. Nonetheless, the attention and care provided to Anya’s storyline as a racer more than compensates for the same, setting up the pieces for a heartwarming conclusion that feels narratively earned.
The Finnish Line Plot Summary
Anya grows up listening to the story about her father’s last sled dog race, in which he lost out to Monty White and his dastardly tricks. Nonetheless, he is never one to complain since the loss brought him to his wife and initiated a new chapter of his life as a husband and a father. Still, he clearly has a soft spot for the sport, considering he gifts his daughter a puppy early on one Christmas. Years later, Anya grows up to foster the same passion for sled dog racing. Even after losing her parents, she continues to honor their memory by participating in the sport herself. Consequently, as she participates in the Joulurauha Race, she partly does it for her father.
Thus, in the build-up to Christmas, Anya and her best friend/sled designer, Elyse, travel to Poland, the homeland of the athlete’s father. From the get-go, Anya’s presence at the race invites much fanfare since it taps into a story about generational rivalry. For the same reason, she remains weary of every journalist, unwilling to let them spin her narrative into something juicy for the hell of it. Nonetheless, it becomes difficult to avoid attention when Mounty White attempts to goad her at an event. As such, while running away from the horde of journalists, Anya runs into Cole—initially a friendly face who reveals himself to be another reporter.
Yet, despite Anya’s biases, Cole—a retired athlete himself—insists that he isn’t like the others. He isn’t out for an exploitative piece and instead wants to do a full story about her journey. Predictably, she turns down the offer without any second consideration. However, fate brings the two together once again when Cupid gets injured after the qualifying race. Even though Anya wants to give up and return home, Elyse and her cousin/resident vet, Lavi, convince her to find an alternative solution. Eventually, the solution arrives in the form of Cole and his trained lead dog, Roux. However, in order to convince the board to allow Anya to change dogs, the pair have to sweeten the pot by offering a journalistic piece about her written by Cole.
This sets the couple up for inevitable forced proximity, in which they train for the competition, have conversations for the article, and embark on a journey to catch some feelings. The pair find themselves having honest conversations with each other as Anya shares her real motivation for participating in the competition, and Cole opens up to a vulnerable moment by sharing his dream of writing a book. The night before the competition, the athlete finally makes a move, opening up the possibility of a romance between them. Meanwhile, things remain tense from the competition perspective as Monty continues to pull dirty tricks to sabotage Anya’s chances of besting him.
Therefore, on the morning of the competition, Anya becomes too tense and accidentally hurts Cole’s feelings. Nevertheless, their misunderstanding takes a backseat as she faces the final race against her competitors and a bitter Monty. However, the race ends up being full of surprises as Monty finds himself in a tricky spot that Anya helps him out of in a feat of excellent showmanship. Afterward, her own life is endangered—when she inadvertently dangles herself off the cliff—resulting in more teamwork among the competitors. Afterward, everyone returns to the race—this time, without any tricks and a deep respect for others.
As a result, Anya’s win is that much sweeter when she becomes the first to cross the finishing line. Yet, she still needs to resolve one final thread. Her callousness had led Cole to second-guess her feelings for him. Similarly, she momentarily talks herself out of going after the journalist due to her fear of unknown variables. Still, both arrive at an eye-opening conclusion at the same time and decide to take a leap of faith. In the end, Anya and Cole meet in the middle and confess their feelings for one another. Even though their relationship may prove to be complicated, they’re willing to put in the work for the possibility of a happily ever after with each other.
Read More: Best Movies on Hallmark Plus You Cannot Miss
