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The Match Factory Girl (1990)

Tulitikkutehtaan tyttö (original title)
Not Rated | | Drama, Comedy | 6 November 1992 (USA)
The Match Factory Girl Poster
A woman's terribly dull life is upended by a one-night stand pregnancy, causing her to seek retribution.

Director:

Aki Kaurismäki

Writer:

Aki Kaurismäki

Stars:

Kati Outinen, Elina Salo, Esko Nikkari | See full cast & crew »
Available on Amazon
Reviews
6 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards »

Photos

See all 39 photos »
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Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kati Outinen ... Iris Rukka
Elina Salo ... Mother
Esko Nikkari Esko Nikkari ... Stepfather
Vesa Vierikko Vesa Vierikko ... Aarne
Reijo Taipale Reijo Taipale ... The singer
Silu Seppälä ... Iris Rukka's brother
Outi Mäenpää ... Iris Rukka's co-worker
Marja Packalén Marja Packalén ... The doctor
Richard Reitinger Richard Reitinger ... Man in the bar
Helka Viljanen Helka Viljanen ... Office employee (as Helga Viljanen)
Kurt Siilas Kurt Siilas ... Policeman
Ismo Keinänen Ismo Keinänen ... Policeman
Klaus Heydemann Klaus Heydemann ... Worker
Erkki Friman Erkki Friman ... Member of dance band
Tapani Ikonen Tapani Ikonen ... Member of dance band
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

Iris has a dead-end job in a match-factory, lives with her dour and forbidding parents, and her social life is a disaster. But when she is made pregnant after a one-night stand by a man who thought she was a prostitute, she decides that enough is enough and plans her revenge... Written by Michael Brooke <michael@everyman.demon.co.uk>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

finland | matchstick factory | helsinki finland | year 1989 | 1980s | See All (57) »

Genres:

Drama | Comedy

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Country:

Finland | Sweden

Language:

Finnish

Release Date:

6 November 1992 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

The Match Factory Girl See more »

Filming Locations:

Vallila, Helsinki, Finland See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Villealfa Filmproductions, Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI), Esselte Video See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Iiris: Half pint, please!
See more »

Connections

Follows Shadows in Paradise (1986) See more »

Soundtracks

Kolme kitaraa
The Strangers
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the book Iris is given as a present by her mother?
See more »

User Reviews

 
A brilliant deadpan tragedy
26 April 1999 | by Lexo-2 – See all my reviews

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.
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