Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

It’s subtly funny, quirky, sweet, exciting, and a little scary at times. It’s my favorite Christmas movie; I watch this and Bad Santa every year. But I probably have weird taste in movies. Still, it’s great.

I strongly recommend not being one of those people that randomly buy movies hoping it will be good. You can't do that with this movie (in most cases). If you are thinking of purchasing this movie, there are a few things you really should know about before you buy it.1) This Movie Was Based Off Of Short Films. The makers of this film, a few years back, made 2 mini shorts. They made the shorts as a parody of Christmas, with some dark humor to it. They played the shorts on TV around Christmas time for years. It did so well in Finland, that they decided to make a full length movie about it, which is this product. You can find the mini shorts on You Tube if you search "Rare Exports" (they have it on You Tube in both English & Finnish). If you have already purchased this or got it as a gift, WATCH THE SHORTS FIRST BEFORE YOU WATCH THE MOVIE (they are on the DVD as well). Also, don't confuse the trailer with the shorts since they're both up on You Tube & on the DVD. If you watch them before the move, you will better understand the movie, & know what kind of movie you're getting yourself into. If you like the shorts, you'll probably like the movie too.2) It Helps If You Understand Finnish Culture. I really think that if you have some knowledge of the Finnish culture, it helps with appreciating this movie (though this isn't a must, like watching the shorts, for this movie). In Finland, they believe that Santa Clause (or Joulupukki in Finnish, which means "Yule Goat") is from Korvatunturi, Lapland (Northern Finland). He sends his elves (Tonttu/Tontut) to do the dirty work of spying on children to see if they are naughty of nice for him year round. In one persons review for this movie, they talked about "randomly appearing calendar dates", but they arent random; they're actually part of the Finnish advent calendar system which counts the days until Christmas from the first of December. Just knowing little things like that help you better understand things like "Why do most of the pictures of Santa in the movie have horns?" (he is called the "Yule Goat"). Also, knowing how the culture acts is kind of nice knowing as well when you watch this movie. My Husband pointed out "See, Finnish kids really don't care about the cold", when the boy in the movie went out in the snow in his underwear like it was nothing! Some Fin's even go rolling around in the snow naked after a sauna! If you want to study Finnish culture, this is an excellent movie to study. Of course, knowing these things aren't needed really when you watch the movie. You can still enjoy the movie if you don't have a strong Finnish understanding, but if you want, you can search the culture online & read up on it before you buy the movie.That being said, My Husband was born & raised in Finland. I was lucky enough to travel there a few times, so that's how I know so much about this. I actually bought this film for my Husband as a Christmas present...Lets just say I got a bigger smile when he received this then when I gave him an $100 camera.You shouldn't compare this movie to other movies (I read a review that "It's the next 'Christmas Story'"?) since it is from another country most people have no knowledge of & is on a totally different plain, & you'll start to expect things that are totally different then the Finnish norm.I also was a film student for 2 years & I loved picking about this movie. It really was enjoyable to watch since it had a great storyline too. However, I did feel like the ending wasn't as good as it could have been (but still, I felt the majority of it was well worth the watch). It is a bit more dark then the mini short films though (though the second mini film is the closest to what the movie is like; much darker). The movie is almost a type of physiological horror, where as the mini shorts are more comedic.

Rare Exports is not a Holiday horror film in the vein of a number of Santa/Slasher films that have popped up over the years, but rather is a suspense film whose mood of eeriness and tension builds until you are completely enveloped in it. Everything in the film from the minimal but effective music by Juri and Miska Seppa to the vast mountainous and snowy landscape of Finnish Lapland add to the feeling of solitude amid a growing sense of alarm.The story is based on the old Finnish Santa Claus of legend, who was no giver of gifts, but rather a terrifying punisher of children who had been bad whose punishments are shown to have included boiling them in cauldrons. No jolly old elf here. It seems a local archaeological dig plans to unearth this monster after he had been frozen in ice and buried in Korvatunturi mountain - the actual filming site, right on the Russian-Finnish border, southeast of Lake Inari, the big lake in Northern Finland.The truth about the dig is discovered by a young boy who prepares for the worst while realizing that no one will believe him. The boy, Pietari, is wonderfully played by Onni Tommila who appears so small and vulnerable yet proves himself incredibly courageous and heroic in the end. Despite his youth, Onni is fully able to carry the film as its very primary characer, assisted only occasionally by his friend Aimo and his rather stern father (played by the boy's actual father).Overall the film is skillfully made, by a director who is tops at building suspense. Yet the film has some issues which need to be touched upon. Although it borders on horror, horror fans will be disappointed as there is no real gore or any scene of the truly horrific. Despite being suspenseful the film is also a black comedy, so you should not go into it with absolute seriousness and must be forgiving of a number of plot holes. Most of all, there is a certain amount of disappointment even among many fans of the film (including myself) that the end does not quite live up to the buildup. We've all become accustomed to massively overblown CGI endings to films like this from Hollywood movies and the budget of an independent film from Finland simply didn't allow this. Still, a little more would have helped simply because one is expecting more. I can't say more without giving too much away, but I will note that it all works better on a second viewing once you know that the ending isn't gigantic.Then there is the R-rating. There is one scene of brief violence and blood. And then there's the nudity. It wasn't really necessary, but people in Northern Europe are very casual about such things unlike people in the U.S. I will give a bit away here (SPOILER) and note that these are old men playing Santa's Elves, seen from a dark and blurred distance. But it's there, frontal nudity, and people who are sensitive to such things need to know this.Finally, there is a bit of a joke-like postscript tacked on at the end. Many people don't like it because of its wild improbability. But this ending existed in an earlier form before the film was made - a humorous short subject - and it inspired the making of the film and so it had to be included. I'm one of those who see the film actually ending earlier, and this a little extra humor.This film is totally unique and worth checking out for a little Holiday eeriness.

It's a great movie with a different Christmas take, and made before the Krampus hype. I highly recommend this flick. It's a must watch for us every year. Very unique holiday story that has enough meat on it to keep you in it for the whole thing. A fun watch, and maybe not for the super young, it does have some creepy bits, something that could be considered for a younger viewer with adult supervision.

If you're reading this, you're probably like me and have stumbled across a few movies where you think to yourself "Wow, that seems messed up. Let's watch that!".That's what I thought going into watching this piece of absolute art and let me assure you, it definitely does not disappoint. I won't spoil it, but I'll tell you one thing: this movie is messed up.10/10 would definitely recommend and plan on putting it into my yearly Christmas movie rotation.

Going back to the original Christmas legends of what would happen to the naughty and nice children this film plays around with Nordic legends of Father Christmas and does it very well.I didn't know much about the film before seeing it which meant every twist and turns comes as a pleasant surprise. Although this in the end a horror film with a darkly comic edge the characters are well written. The film does a lot with a smaller budget and doesn't fall foul of using cheap CGI to fill in for special effects.This is a very enjoyable comic horror set in the world of remote reindeer farming communities, it looks stunning all the way through and the final ending pay off is a really good unexpected turn around that finally explains the title.I would highly recommend to genre fans and people looking for alternative films for their Christmas movie collections

Set at Christmas time on the Finnish/Russian border, this Finnish movie sets out with tongue firmly in cheek and kicks Hollywood's trite annual Santa offerings firmly between the legs. delving (elving, even) into the darker side of xmas.A top secret Russian excavation is underway on an isolated, snow-covered hill, near the remote homes of a group of reindeer-hunters. As explosives are used to get inside the hill, strange goings-on begin occurring. One young boy starts reading up on folkloric tales of the dark history of the creature people refer to as "Santa Claus" and, as the village's children start to disappear, becomes convinced that the hill excavations have stumbled onto a terrible discovery, and that time is running out.With, in parts, an almost fairytale atmosphere plus some Christmas parody thrown in for good measure, this dark Finnish comedy is a welcome relief from the cheesy nonsense of the regular Yuletide yarns.Great stuff.

Was very excited about getting this, but when i opened it the box is correct but the wrong dvd was inside, i dont want to watch balls of fury. Have sent back for a refund

This is one of the most bizarre alternative Christmas movies I have ever seen. It`s pretty ghoulish in parts so not one for smaller children or adults who are squeamish. The film is about the scientific discovery of Santa Claus who has been frozen in ice in a remote part of Finland for a very long time. Children in a nearby village start disappearing and as the film unwinds, we are given a gory explanation of what is really going on. I was disappointed with the end of the film but cannot explain why without spoiling it. The genre is a bit like The Goonies only MUCH more horrible!

Wasn't feeling well in December and was sat up late watching tv. Rare Exports came on. I am not keen on subtitles but I was hooked within 10 minutes couldn't wait to see how it was going to turn out. Had to buy the dvd to share with other members of the family (not with the kids, till they are older). The acting and scenery was good. The film was not scary but it was dark and humorous. This is definitely one of the films that I will be watching every Christmas. To describe the film would spoil it for you. If you like Santa films with a twist just buy it and see how good it is.