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...
Cast
- Elina Hurme - Helena
- Tiina Weckström - Mother
- Elena Leeve - Helena 14 Years
- Elsa Saisio - Irene 14 Years
- Jani Volanen - Clown
- Vappu Jurkka - Grandmother
- Jordi Borrell - Ramon
- Unna Kitti - Girl
- Sari Havukainen - Helena 8 years
- Inka Vogt - Irene 8 years
Screenplay
Keywords
woman director
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Fire-Eater about?
- 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...
- Who directed Fire-Eater?
- Fire-Eater was directed by Pirjo Honkasalo.
- Who stars in Fire-Eater?
- Fire-Eater stars Elina Hurme, Tiina Weckström, Elena Leeve, Elsa Saisio, Jani Volanen, Vappu Jurkka.
- How long is Fire-Eater?
- Fire-Eater has a runtime of 1h 44m (104 minutes).
- What genre is Fire-Eater?
- Fire-Eater is a Drama film.
- Where was Fire-Eater produced?
- Fire-Eater was produced in Sweden, Finland.