Fire-Eater (1998)
The twin sisters Helena and Irene are born in Helsinki during World War II. A few months later their mother, Sirkka, leaves the girls in the care of their grandmother, an old communist, and runs away with a German soldier. Their life under the protection of their grandmother and the teachings of communism ends first with the death of Stalin, then with that of their grandmother. The girls are eight years old when they are put in an orphanage. Their mother shows up at the orphanage in the company of Ramon, a Spanish trapeze artist. They are on a talent search for a German circus. Ramon trains the reluctant Irene during circus tours in Central Europe. She becomes the trapeze star of the circus. The hard work soon exhausts Irene and she falls from height, as if on purpose. Helena has secretly learned the art of fire-eating. Now she is burdened with both her mother and her sister. The violent life, however, separates the three from each other. In the present-day Helsinki the middle-aged...
Director: Pirjo Honkasalo
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Elina Hurme as Helena |
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Tiina Weckström as Mother |
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Elena Leeve as Helena 14 Years |
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Elsa Saisio as Irene 14 Years |
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Jani Volanen as Clown |
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Vappu Jurkka as Grandmother |
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Jordi Borrell as Ramon |
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Unna Kitti as Girl |
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Sari Havukainen as Helena 8 years |
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Inka Vogt as Irene 8 years |
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Per Ragnar as Circus Director |
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Sulevi Peltola as Arvo |
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Tõnu Kark as Soviet Officer |
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Kristo Salminen as Heinz |
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Eeva-Maija Haukinen as Godmother |
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Raija Paalanen as Godmother |
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Rea Mauranen as Orphanage Director |
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Vieno Saaristo as Saunottaja |
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Anna-Leena Mäki-Penttilä as Orphanage employee |
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Rauha Puntti as Orphanage employee |
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Göran Schauman as Priest |
| Sound | Pekka Karjalainen | Sound Designer |
| Directing | Pirjo Honkasalo | Director |
| Writing | Pirkko Saisio | Writer |
| Costume & Make-Up | Arja Könönen | Costume Design |
| Editing | Michał Leszczyłowski | Editor |
| Costume & Make-Up | Auli Turtiainen-Kinnunen | Costume Design |
| Production | Marko Röhr | Producer |
| Editing | Bernhard Winkler | Editor |
| Lighting | Ville Penttilä | Gaffer |
| Art | Tiina Makkonen | Production Design |
| Camera | Kjell Lagerroos | Director of Photography |
| Sound | Richard Einhorn | Original Music Composer |
| Production | Ilkka Matila | Associate Producer |
| Editing | Timo Nousiainen | Colorist |
| Directing | Malla Hukkanen | Script Supervisor |
| Camera | Malla Hukkanen | Still Photographer |
| Sound | Pekka Karjalainen | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Sound | Kauko Lindfors | Sound Designer |
| Sound | Kauko Lindfors | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
