the birthday book


the book her mother gives her for her birthday - is it one of her own books wrapped up?

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Ultra-late reply: No I don't think so. I think it's just one of a series of the same books she has or her parents keep getting her. It just shows how cold their relationship is and how little the mother cares for her child.

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I'd agree with Thesan that it is 'just another' - maybe a series, but certainly looking like the same author I base this on the bit where she at least turns the book over to read the 'blurb' on the back before putting it, unread, on the shelf. If it had been her own, she wouldn't need to do that. The thought it was already hers would be a neat idea,(underlining the lack of warmth from the parents) but I think at least mother has some feelings for her, but cannot show it. (You see some kindness in mother's eyes at times - she is every much as beaten down by father as is daughter)

few visible scars

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No, I do believe it's a book from the Angelique series by Anne Golon - historic romance novels.

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Maybe I can shed some light on this.

those books she got from her mother.. are all written in swedish lol.

Finnish people do get swedish education in school but i belive 99% dont care much for that language thus never learn it anyway, not enough to read a book at least.

finnish people usually "hates" sweden to because of little brother complex.

Maybe the mother gives her swedish books out of spite? Maybe swedish books are a lot cheaper then finnish book in finland?

Need a real finnish person in this topic i think who can eleborate a bit.

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A realfinnishperson here, thanks for calling. I filled a small trivia box below as an answer, from my subjective point of view, but I don't really think it's that relevant to this movie.

It's hard to elaborate since Kaurismäki doesn't really give us much more. He's stingy with information and I suppose we should think all that is needed for the story is already there plain in sight.

I don't see the language of the book(s) as the most relevant thing. Iris might know the language or might not.

The book looks old out right of the wrapping paper. Did the mother re-gift something she had received as a gift? Did she buy a series and is giving them out one part at time? Did she read it first and gift it then? Has she ever noticed, that Iris doesn't actually read the books - hasn't for years? Or doesn't Iris really speak the language, and the mother just doesn't care or know? And does she really care about any of that?

The gift and it's reception speak of enstrangement in any language.

Concerning the language, there's a 5% swedish speaking minority in Finland, and it's compulsory to study the language for everyone for historical reasons (really mostly political today. The minority has political and economic leverage greater than their number, and some privileges including easier entry to higher education and demand of proof of language skills for government jobs and university graduation.

Also, there are few but enough swedish speaking 'old money' families that the image tends to rub off on the swedish speakers without similar hereditary economic advantages as well (the most), even though they do not neccessrily appreciate the association.

Any attempts at language politics reform and dismantling the historical privileges are difficult (=doomed). The Swedish People's Party has stayed in the cabinet for decades with a turnkey vote an succesful negotiation and good support, and even though they ever will be a minority, holds a very good position.

I doubt most care enough to 'hate' it, but few actually manage to learn a language they don't want to study. The disproportionate political power and privileges in education and government also do breed some resentment.

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Concerning the language, there's a 5% swedish speaking minority in Finland, and it's compulsory to study the language for everyone for historical reasons (really mostly political today. The minority has political and economic leverage greater than their number, and some privileges including easier entry to higher education and demand of proof of language skills for government jobs and university graduation.


Wow, how unfair to be forced to learn Swedish yet Swedes are greatly in the minority in Finland. Not to mention the fact that it would be much more useful for the students to learn English.

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I assumed that it was a romance novel (apparently that's true) from a series the girl collects - she also reads Harlequins (on the bus) - both escapist fantasies that lead to unrealistic relationship expectations.

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Redeem147 is the only one who has the obvious correct answer. The girl likes the Angelique series because she dreams of romance. She's seen reading a similar book on a bus. The mother isn't being uncaring in giving the book as a present.

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It's obviously a used and often read book. And the fact that there's a gap on the bookshelf of the correct size and location to place it makes me 99% sure that it was simply a book already on the bookshelf that the mother just wrapped up.


"My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs stretching all the way back to the Whale Rider."

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That was my assumption as well. Iiris received one of her own books.

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1) The b**** mother re-gifted the book.

2) The card merely said, "Congratulations."

3) As far as I know, education in Finland generally includes Swedish as a language of instruction. Finland was a colony of Sweden. I don't know if Kaurismaki intended to make a political statement, but the fact that the romance novel was in Swedish conveyed the perceived insignificance and oppression of Finns and Kaurismaki characters. Perhaps it was cheaper and more available to find the novels in Swedish but not Finnish. Perhaps the romance novels in a foreign language spoke of a "better life" for Iiris in another land, but certainly not where she was.

Heartbreaking.

transcendcinema.blogspot.com

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