The Match Factory Girl (1990)

In the grim labyrinth of life, we meet Iris, a woman shackled by the monotonous grind of her existence. Her world is a match factory, a dreary, inescapable assembly line where she toils day after day, manufacturing tiny sparks of light she will never get to ignite. Her earnings, meager as they are, disappear into the ungrateful hands of her emotionally abusive mother and stepfather, who share with her the cramped confines of a house that feels more like a prison. Iris, a ghost in her own life, is widely overlooked due to her somber demeanor and the financial constraints that rob her of the chance to present herself as desirable. The glimmers of hope in her life are as fleeting as the matches she makes, until a chance encounter with Aarne, a seemingly affluent businessman. Iris naively sees this as a beacon of hope, a possible escape from her dreary existence. However, Aarne views their night together as nothing more than a fleeting diversion, leaving Iris abandoned once again in the cold light of reality. But life has a strange way of igniting change. A single night with Aarne leads to an unexpected pregnancy - a revelation that shakes Iris to her core. In the midst of the shock, Iris realizes the bitter truth: she has been mistaken for a sex worker, a realization that pushes her to the brink. But instead of succumbing, Iris decides it's time she took control. She hatches a plan, a desperate bid for revenge and liberation from her bleak existence. Her life, like a match, is ready to be struck, and no one knows how brightly or dangerously it will burn.

The Match Factory Girl is a comedy movie featuring Kati Outinen.

The Match Factory Girl is currently streaming on Criterion Channel.