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IMDbPro

The Match Factory Girl

Original title: Tulitikkutehtaan tyttö
  • 19901990
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 9m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
10K
YOUR RATING
Kati Outinen in The Match Factory Girl (1990)
ComedyCrimeDrama
A woman's terribly dull life is upended by a one-night stand pregnancy, causing her to seek retribution.A woman's terribly dull life is upended by a one-night stand pregnancy, causing her to seek retribution.A woman's terribly dull life is upended by a one-night stand pregnancy, causing her to seek retribution.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
10K
YOUR RATING
    • Aki Kaurismäki
    • Aki Kaurismäki
  • Stars
    • Kati Outinen
    • Elina Salo
    • Esko Nikkari
    • Aki Kaurismäki
    • Aki Kaurismäki
  • Stars
    • Kati Outinen
    • Elina Salo
    • Esko Nikkari
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 35User reviews
    • 42Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Photos49

    Kati Outinen in The Match Factory Girl (1990)
    Outi Mäenpää and Kati Outinen in The Match Factory Girl (1990)
    Kati Outinen and Vesa Vierikko in The Match Factory Girl (1990)
    The Match Factory Girl (1990)
    The Match Factory Girl (1990)
    Shadows in Paradise (1986)
    The Match Factory Girl (1990)
    Kati Outinen in The Match Factory Girl (1990)
    Kati Outinen in The Match Factory Girl (1990)
    Kati Outinen and Vesa Vierikko in The Match Factory Girl (1990)
    Kati Outinen and Vesa Vierikko in The Match Factory Girl (1990)
    Kati Outinen in The Match Factory Girl (1990)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kati Outinen
    Kati Outinen
    • Iris Rukka
    Elina Salo
    Elina Salo
    • Mother
    Esko Nikkari
    Esko Nikkari
    • Stepfather
    Vesa Vierikko
    Vesa Vierikko
    • Aarne
    Reijo Taipale
    • The singer
    Silu Seppälä
    Silu Seppälä
    • Iris Rukka's brother
    Outi Mäenpää
    Outi Mäenpää
    • Iris Rukka's 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
    Erkki Friman
    • Member of dance band
    Tapani Ikonen
    • Member of dance band
    Jari Lappalainen
    • Member of dance band
    Lasse Luoto
    • Member of dance band
    Pope John Paul II
    Pope John Paul II
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
      • Aki Kaurismäki
      • Aki Kaurismäki
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Although being in nearly every scene, the protagonist does not speak until the 25-minute mark in the film.
    • Quotes

      Iiris: [Iris is buying rat-poison] How does it effect?

      Pharmacist: It kills.

      Iiris: Good.

    • Connections
      Featured in I Am Curious, Film (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      Satumaa
      Lyrics and Music Composed Unto Mononen

      Performed by Reijo Taipale

    User reviews35

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    A simple, unhurried, beautiful, minimalist modern fable
    With THE MATCH FACTORY GIRL Kaurismaki might not tread new ground but instead perfects the stylistic hallmarks that marked him apart from most other directors of his generation. His work is that of a sculptor, hacking away at all the cinematic fat, shaping form by removing that which is not necessary. His movies as an extension of his sculptory approach attain an almost hypnotic quality - or perhaps boring uneventfulness for others. He's not at all trying to hit emotionally draining highs and lows but build a rhythmic lull, a soothing pace created of flows and ebbs that move with imperceptible change. As a result, his movies never hurry to get anywhere fast and when they get there not a whole lot happens. It's all about appreciating how they got there and the stylistic subtleties of that journey.

    THE MATCH FACTORY GIRL finds Kaurismaki shunning dialogue even more than previous efforts, if that's even possible without making a modern silent picture. Which it pretty much is. The entirety of the dialogue doesn't amount to more than 1 minute and that too is used more as a form of punctuation to the images - he could easily have done the movie completely without dialogues if he so wanted. The story could have been summed up in a 20 minute short yet Kaurismaki stretches it to 65 minutes, a meagre duration by most people's standards, which here feels like a good 90 minutes.

    Although the material is perhaps the most bleak and brooding he had done at that point in his career since his debut CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, it is spiced up by moments of his trademark glacial humour. A certain scene in bar involving a drunk, sleazy patron and rat poison had me laughing out loud, which is a minor success for a film of this kind. The most dramatic scenes are delivered with that same kind of deadpan unaffection that immediately acquires a serio-comic air for that reason.

    Although it lacks the playfulness of its predecessor (ARIEL), this is still Kaurismaki in top visual form. He has a way with images and how he orchestrates them that is quite unparalleled at his level. Sure he's not a director of epic works and spectacle but he's carved a niche for himself over the years that has his name and particular sensibilities written all over it and he's been content to work within it. If you like his style, this is a safebet. If you're a newcomer I'd suggest starting with something like ARIEL.
    helpful•26
    2
    • chaos-rampant
    • Dec 5, 2008

    FAQ2

    • What is the book Iris is given as a present by her mother?
    • What is the film Iris is watching at the movie theatre?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 6, 1992 (United States)
      • Finland
      • Sweden
      • Finnish
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Helsinki, Finland
    • Production companies
      • Villealfa Filmproductions
      • Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI)
      • Esselte Video
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 9 minutes
      • Mono

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