The Match Factory Girl

1990 1h 9m FI

👍

7.4

SOLID

🔥

100%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★7.4TMDB · 317🍅100%Rotten Tomatoes★7.5IMDB · 12,927

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Iris is a shy and dowdy young woman stuck in a dead-end job at a match factory, who dreams of finding love at the local dancehall. Finding herself pregnant after a one-night stand and abandoned by the father, Iris finally decides the time has come to get even and she begins to plot her revenge.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Kati Outinen
Iris Rukka
Elina Salo
Mother
Esko Nikkari
Stepfather
Vesa Vierikko
Aarne
Reijo Taipale
Singer
Silu Seppälä
Brother
Outi Mäenpää
Co-Worker
Marja Packalén
Doctor

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Writers: Aki Kaurismäki
Languages: Finnish
Countries: Finland, Sweden

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 69-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Finland, Sweden.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Aki Kaurismäki, shot by Timo Salminen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Aki Kaurismäki shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kati Outinen and Elina Salo and Esko Nikkari carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0098532 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Aki Kaurismäki directs. Timo Salminen behind the camera. Aki Kaurismäki cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Finland, Sweden. Dialogue in Finnish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 69-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
336 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4International production across 2 countries: Finland, Sweden.
5Directed by Aki Kaurismäki, shot by Timo Salminen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Aki Kaurismäki shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Kati Outinen and Elina Salo and Esko Nikkari carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0098532 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "helsinki, finland", "factory worker", "match", "isolation".
10Released under 18 different titles around the world.