Tulitikkutehtaan tyttö (1990)

Director:

Aki Kaurismäki

Writer:

Aki Kaurismäki (writer)

Release Date:

6 November 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Plot:

Iris has a dead-end job in a match-factory, lives with her dour and forbidding parents, and her social life is a disaster...

Plot Keywords:

One Night Stand | Revenge | Rat Poison | Slap In The Face | Letter Writing

Awards:

6 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Kati Outinen	...	Iiris
Elina Salo	...	Mother
Esko Nikkari	...	Stepfather
Vesa Vierikko	...	Aarne
Reijo Taipale	...	The singer
Silu Seppälä	...	Iiris' brother
Outi Mäenpää	...	Iiris' co-worker
Marja Packalén	...	The doctor
Richard Reitinger	...	Man in the bar
Helka Viljanen	...	Office employee (as Helga Viljanen)
Kurt Siilas	...	Policeman
Ismo Keinänen	...	Policeman
Klaus Heydemann	...	Worker
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Erkki Friman	...	Member of dance band
Tapani Ikonen	...	Member of dance band
Jari Lappalainen	...	Member of dance band
Lasse Luoto	...	Member of dance band

Directed by
Aki Kaurismäki

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Aki Kaurismäki		writer

Produced by
Katinka Faragó	....	producer (as Katinka Farago)
Aki Kaurismäki	....	producer
Klas Olofsson	....	producer

Cinematography by
Timo Salminen

Film Editing by
Aki Kaurismäki

Art Direction by
Risto Karhula

Set Decoration by
Kari Laine

Production Management
Klaus Heydemann	....	production manager
Jaakko Talaskivi	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pauli Pentti	....	assistant director

Art Department
Heikki Ukkonen	....	property master

Sound Department
Tom Forsström	....	sound mixer
Juuso Hirvikangas	....	assistant sound recordist
Nina Jansson	....	sound synchronisation
Jouko Lumme	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Marja-Leena Helin	....	still photographer
Börje Hellen	....	assistant camera (as Börje Hellén)
Olavi Tuomi	....	lighting technician
Pekka Uotila	....	assistant camera
Olli Varja	....	lighting technician

Editorial Department
Eila Karkkunen	....	negative cutter (as Eila Karttunen)

Music Department
Erkki Friman	....	musician
Tapani Ikonen	....	musician
Jari Lappalainen	....	musician
Lasse Luoto	....	musician

Other crew
Haije Alanoja	....	production secretary
Erkki Astala	....	publicist
Marja-Leena Helin	....	script supervisor
M. Laaksonen	....	title designer
Pirjo Laivuori	....	color definitions
Jan-Eric Nyström	....	title designer (as J-E Nyström)
Jaana Puhakka	....	production assistant
Sinikka Usvamaa	....	accountant (as Sinikka Telaranta)

Thanks
Willmar Andersson	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Esselte Video
• Finnkino
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI)
• Villealfa Filmproduction Oy

Distributors

• Finnkino (Finland) (theatrical)
• Al!ve AG (2007) (Germany) (DVD) (Aki Kaurismäki Collection I)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Eclipse from the Criterion Collection (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Kino International (1992) (USA) (subtitled)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (Finland) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Finn-Match Oy  thanks
• Oy Sinebrychoff AB  thanks
• SES Film Sound Oy  sound mixing

Also Known As:

Flickan från tändsticksfabriken (Sweden)
The Match Factory Girl (USA)
Das Mädchen aus der Streichholzfabrik (West Germany) [de]
I gynaika me ta spirta (Greece) [el]
La chica de la fábrica de cerillas (Spain) [es]
La chica de la fábrica de fósforos (Argentina) [es]
La fiammiferaia (Italy) [it]
La fille aux allumettes (France) [fr]
Oi gynaikes me ta spirta (Greece) (TV title) [el]
Pigen fra tændstikfabrikken (Denmark) [da]

Runtime:

68 min

Country:

Finland | Sweden

Language:

Finnish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Finland:S | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Helsinki, Finland

Company:

Esselte Video

Quotes:

[first lines]
Iiris: Half pint, please!

Movie Connections:

Features Room Service (1938)

Soundtrack:

Herbstlaub

Wanna know about Finnish culture? Watch this film...

Where to begin telling about this film? Throwing imaginary roses to Kaurismäki who has yet again showed all what a fantastic creator of films he really is?.

No one can as he describe Finnish culture in such a deep and sensitive, yet rough, way. He touches the string of our culture, our way of thinking and behaving in this special "silent" way as only he masters. In his films talking isn't done by words only but surely there's plenty of communication!

This film is beyond doubt my personal favorite (also the lastest film by Kaurismäki, Mies Ilman Menneisyyttä, is totally fabulous!!) because there's not much dialogue (which we Finns aren't too keen of somehow) but there's plenty of meaning, plenty of human tragedy (which we also seem to be fond of!) and also a hint from Kaurismäki himself that certain things maybe could be different but all in all everything comes down to the quetion of culture and indeed Finnish culture is different from most other cultures especially in Scandinavia.

Finns are often perceived as totally without oral skills almost not being able to talk however this is a fatal mistake to believe in. Finns just don't say anything if it's not necessary!! Why babble with no reason, why chat if it's not necessary..that's also why such a thing as the international wellknown concept of smalltalk is practically unknown here in Finland. It makes most Finns feel uneasy to talk if there's nothing real to talk about. But don't make the conclusion that Finns don't have feelings (even very deep ones!) and thoughts; that would be a fatal mistake. Finns are in everso many ways such a serious people that for most foreigners it looks like there's some sort of national depression going on but on the other hand when Finns party then they really party...

Life here in Finland is simple although also hypermodern; it's two "worlds" living side by side and exactly this fact can be difficult for anyone from outside Finland to comprehend because it seems so weird, almost even awkward. What makes a Finn happy...well, a little wooden house by the lake to go to in the summer, your own sauna (which there's plenty of here), a long and everlasting relationship and a cosy home...nothing fancy is high on the list of finnish "dreams of happiness"..maybe it sounded as I would generalize but sometimes it's necessary to make your point of view clear to "foreigners" who've never visited Finland.

The film itself shows a lot of how Finland still is...what things are all about; it contains strong emotions although it might not seem so at first. To some the film might even seem boring but beyond all those visible things there's a whole world of unsaid and in this particular film also undone things. In a stange way it contains as well the deepest seriousness as humour even though it is quite invisible to the eye. And however strange it may sound the film contains also love and deep passion; the scene where "Satumaa" is being played (just before Iris is picked up by the police) says it all! That's concequence, justice, love and real passion all in one small scene.

Maybe one needs to be a Finn (or a true Fennofile) to get something real out of watching this film but indeed it is worthwhile and if you're gonna buy it do please buy it on DVD because if you like it (and you definately will) a VHS won't last for that many replays...

So watch it and get wiser on Finnish culture; I give it all the stars possible, it really is a masterpiece of the very rare. It really is a film with a meaning and it surely has a message to all of us.

Yet again "Bravo Kaurismäki" for placing Finland on the filmic worldmap...