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:

Factory | Revenge | Sequel | Accident | Dance

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

• Al!ve AG (2007) (Germany) (DVD) (Aki Kaurismäki Collection I)
• Eclipse from the Criterion Collection (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Finnkino (Finland) (theatrical)
• 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)
Chica de la fábrica de cerillas, La (Spain) [es]
Chica de la fábrica de fósforos, La (Argentina) [es]
Fiammiferaia, La (Italy) [it]
Fille aux allumettes, La (France) [fr]
Gynaika me ta spirta, I (Greece) [el]
Gynaikes me ta spirta, Oi (Greece) (TV title) [el]
Mädchen aus der Streichholzfabrik, Das (West Germany) [de]
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:

Iiris: [Iris is buying rat-poison] How does it effect?
Pharmacist: It kills.
Iiris: Good.

Movie Connections:

Features Room Service (1938)

Soundtrack:

Satumaa

A brilliant deadpan tragedy

A riveting early masterpiece by Aki Kaurismaki. Kati Outinen is extraordinary as Iris, the long-faced factory worker of the title, who lives with her truly appalling parents in (probably) Helsinki. She cooks the meals and does all the housework, while they completely ignore her, preferring to watch TV and drink. Iris buys a dress and goes to a party - everybody ignores her there as well, and her scandalised mother forces her to take the dress back to the shop. A middle-class man picks her up in a bar and sleeps with her, and then leaves the next morning. She informs him that she's pregnant; he sends her a cheque and a note saying "Get rid of it." She quietly and inexorably starts to revenge herself on the world.

There's not much dialogue, but you don't need it; the camera stays on Outinen's mesmerisingly gloomy face. Iris is possibly the least glamorous heroine in movie history, but without apparently doing anything, Outinen shows all of Iris' hope, despair and the consciousness that it's going to get worse before it gets better. A great movie; since Fassbinder's death, they don't make many like these anymore.