[REQ] Pojken i grannhuset (TV Series 2025)

[lildrm]

(original title): Pojken i grannhuset
Finland: Naapurin poika
World-wide: The Boy Next Door (English)
World-wide: Monster (English, Working Title)
[All the above is a Moderator post edit.]

A 16-year-old boy realizes he is in love with his girlfriend’s 11-year-old sister. 20 years later, she decides to track him down, forcing two families to face, as noted by Eva-Maria Koskinen, the last taboo of our time.

Production company: Aamu Film Company
Producer: Jussi Rantamäki
Broadcaster: YLE
Writer: Eva-Maria Koskinen
Director: Hannaleena Hauru

https://variety.com/2023/tv/global/aamu ... 1235552137

Aamu Film Company’s “Monster,” about a teenage Nicke, realizing he is in love with his girlfriend’s 11-year-old sister, is bound to ignite discussions.

“I wanted to do this show because I believe that raising awareness of minor-attracted persons can save children from abuse,” creator Eva-Maria Koskinen tells Variety.

“It’s not about blurring any borders: Sexual contact between an adult and a child is wrong and also criminal. But research shows that when a minor-attracted person can’t talk about their sexuality, the pressure builds up. Wouldn’t we want people like Nicke to seek help, if it keeps them from the wrong path? Organizations doing that work still have a hard time getting funding in Finland and many other countries.”

[miih]

The title was changed to The Boy Next Door. The sweedish title is Pojken i grannhuset.
https://www.imdb.com/pt/title/tt29083283/

The 4x50 minutes miniseries is available since August 8th, 2025, on https://areena.yle.fi/1-70705185.

[Image]
The actress Frida Eklund (14) plays Linnéa when child (11).

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[Sue04]

Why not use a 16 or even 18-year-old actress to play the 11-year-old sister?
You have blurred all the boundaries when you can’t stand your own position to express your opinions.
I won't believe what you called "save children" shit, all you want is gimmicks and people's attention.
You could read everything from the title "Monster", anyone think this is a serious subject?
Any of my comments are not directed at lildrm, thanks for sharing it.
But seeing the creator's comments, I won't want to watch this series anymore.

[Night457]

You make some good points Sue04. I changed the thread title to reflect the release title, not the World-wide working title. "Monster" was clearly a bad choice and might not have been what the Finnish creators had in mind. (The people who decide how to promote a film are not necessarily the creative team, but instead the "money" team.) The chosen Finnish title translates as "Neighbor's Son" so it matches the final Swedish and English titles.

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(EDIT: Against my better judgment I read the entire Variety "article" and was cringing at the Producer's full comments.)

[Sue04]

You make some good points Sue04. I changed the thread title to reflect the release title, not the World-wide working title. "Monster" was clearly a bad choice and might not have been what the Finnish creators had in mind. (The people who decide how to promote a film are not necessarily the creative team, but instead the "money" team.) The chosen Finnish title translates as "Neighbor's Son" so it matches the final Swedish and English titles.

No, the title won't save it, it's even worse!
So what?
Define all "Neighbor's Son" as potential minor-attracted persons and abusers or criminals?
Yeah, your "Neighbor's Son" is "Monster"!
All I see is bias rather than genuine concern for minors!

[Night457]

Well, what would you have considered a good title? I agree with you that "Monster" is awful and reflects societal bias. (It has also been used for other movies.) I interpret the final title as indicating that "minor-attracted persons" may very well be ordinary people like the "boy next door". The creator's supposed concern is that the boy next door is not pushed into becoming a monster through silence and oppression. I don't know if I am entirely convinced by the psychology of their argument but I think I am fairly characterizing it.

That said, Variety is garbage and I don't trust anything in it.

[SATA6Gbs]

Here's the Finnish description translated from Yle Areena:

When journalist Linnéa Krook sees her childhood first love Anton on television, old questions return to her mind. Why was Anton suddenly sent away from home 20 years ago? Linnéa begins to dig into the past and encounters a taboo that no one wants to talk about. Who was Anton, that kind five-years-older boy, really? The series follows Linnéa’s search for the truth and Anton’s struggle with his sexual interest in children.