Movie Review: Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

By Angela Roberts

Aug. 17, 2011

Rare Exports poster

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is a rare export indeed. It was certainly one of the oddest films that I saw at Fantasia this year. This Finnish film is set high up among the Laplanders, rugged suspicious men who herd the wild reindeer of the area. It’s a thoroughly bizarre horror comedy, and a disturbingly convincing reimagining of the Santa Claus myth. In this story, Santa isn`t a kindly old man who distributes toys to deserving children. Santa is a giant demon who punishes naughty children in sadistic medieval ways. He and his creepy elves went about their business for years until the Northern peoples trapped them inside a mountain. But well enough can never be left alone, and an American mining company working for a very weird man unearths something they`re not prepared for. It falls to a young Laplander boy, his father, and their neighbours to find a solution to the problem.

Rare Exports is creepy and just plain different. Refreshing, really, perfectly plotted; foreshadowing is used effectively, everything fits together, nothing is wasted, no loose ends. For the most part, it keeps you guessing, revealing itself yet always keeping something in reserve to surprise you. It`s also a comedy that takes itself entirely seriously, delivered in a deadpan manner – with perhaps just a touch of tongue in cheek. It`s an approach that`s completely unnecessary to keep the absurdity from turning ridiculous. If the characters don`t believe it, you won`t. And then you won`t laugh when you`re supposed to.

In terms of horror, it’s not very scary or too gory, despite having a few good jump scares. I don’t think the intent is to scare; weird out, yes. Fascinate, yes. Scare, no. But it accomplishes its intent quite well.

It’s the boy who really sells it. Whoever cast him had a flash of brilliance. Onni Tommila has the perfect ‘look’ about him. He’s utterly convincing; one of those young Scandinavian actors who come along every once in a while and blow you away. You believe he’s this innocent and precocious. You believe by the end that he can do what he does, and that he would.

One last note about the ending: it’s utterly fantastic and absurd. It’s impossible to really convey the quality of this film in words. You really just have to seize the opportunity and see it for yourself.

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