Aina Clotet re-examines the distance between desires and reality with 'This is not Finland'

BarcelonaThe series This is Not Finland, created by Aina Clotet, Valentina Viso and Daniel González, has already begun filming its second season. The fiction maintains the essence of its predecessor, This is Not Sweden, but renews its universe to continue exploring the contradictions between the ideals that guide us and the difficulties in putting them into practice. The new installment will have six 40-minute episodes and will again combine comedy, drama and tension.

"The second season maintains the tone, this mix of tones that the first one had, which we try to ensure has a great sense of humor, but which touches on deep and complex themes", explains Clotet, who returns to lead the project as director and actress. The creator defends a fiction that can laugh at the contradictions of its characters without putting aside the conflicts that lie behind them.

One of the elements that remains is the search for an ideal that seems within reach, but proves difficult to achieve. On this occasion, Finland takes over from Sweden as the benchmark for this idealized way of understanding life. "We have the characters searching for these ideals again, in this case being the best version of a family possible, within the new family models that exist today," points out Clotet, who does not want to reveal details of the plot. The change of title also responds to the desire to preserve the spirit of the first season and, at the same time, the possibility of watching an independent series.

Aina considers that the series connects with an increasingly diverse social reality, in which traditional family models coexist with new ways of understanding parenting and relationships. "The traditional couple of father, mother and children is being questioned more and more," she points out. Clotet sees this change as an opportunity to explore the difficulties and contradictions that appear when families try to find their own formula, far from pre-established ideals. The fiction starts from everyday situations to raise questions without necessarily offering closed answers.

Therapy will also be present in this new installment, with a focus more centered on new family models. Clotet highlights that these spaces allow for the introduction of reflections and advice that can be useful for viewers, even if it is difficult for the characters to apply them. "We found it very interesting that the series, furthermore, gives messages and content that can be useful for the viewers," she points out. The sessions will continue to dialogue with the themes represented in each chapter and will reinforce the contrast between what seems obvious when someone explains it and the difficulty of carrying it out.

Another challenge of the production is working with the child actors. Violeta Sanvisens returns to play her character, while Mathis Vera and Lennon Sánchez join the cast. For Clotet, filming with children requires finding the balance between the demands of a shooting schedule and the need for the little ones to experience it as a game. "The art of acting is the art of listening, and children always bring you back to earth very quickly," she states. The director also claims that children should have a central place in the narrative and that the series should show how the adults' decisions condition their lives.

The continuation of the fiction was not initially planned. The team began considering a second season after the positive reception of the first, but only decided to move forward with it once they found a new perspective that justified resuming the story. The funding process, with the participation of different public television stations, has also been complex and has contributed to lengthening the wait.

The filming is taking place in various locations in Barcelona and will include a trip to Finland to record one of the episodes. In addition to Clotet and Marcel Borràs, Pol López, Tomás del Estal, Nora Navas, Nausicaa Bonnín, and Violeta Sanvisens return. William Miller, Fanny Gatibelza, and children Mathis Vera and Lennon Sánchez join the cast, with new characters who will have great importance in this second season, with the exception of Lennon, who plays Max. The direction is shared between Clotet, Celia Giraldo, and Sara Fantova.

Produced by Funicular Films, Nanouk Films, and 3Cat, with the participation of Movistar Plus and the Finnish public television Yle, the series arrives after the recognition of This is Not Sweden, awarded the Ondas prize for best comedy series in 2024 and the Prix Europa for best television fiction in 2023. Clotet also won the award for best performance at the Canneseries festival in 2024. The first season accumulated 1.9 million on-demand views on 3Cat and reached a cumulative television audience of 1,571,000 viewers. The series was distributed in Sweden, Germany, and Finland, through the public television stations SVT, NDR, and Yle, respectively.