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DVD Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
 Run time: 84 min Rating: 6.7 Genres: Adventure | Fantasy | Horror Director: Jalmari Helander Writers: Jalmari Helander, Jalmari Helander Stars: Jorma Tommila, Peeter Jakobi, Onni Tommila |
| Storyline On Christmas Eve in Finland, Santa Claus is unearthed in an archaeological dig. Soon after, children start disappearing, leading a boy and his father to capture Santa and, with the help of fellow hunters, they look to sell him back to the corporation that sponsored the dig. And then there’s Santa’s elves, who are determined to free their leader… Written by Anonymous |
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| Plot Keywords: christmas, santa claus, boy, mountain, christmas eve | |
| Details: Country: Finland, Norway, France, Sweden Release Date: 3 December 2010 (UK) |
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| Box Office Budget: €1,948,000 (estimated) Opening Weekend: $9,281 (USA) (3 December 2010) Gross: $263,210 (USA) (21 January 2011) |
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4 comments
I saw this the other day at the London Film Festival and went in with no expectations, not having seen the short films it was based on. It was a fantastic surprise and i would put it right up there, if not in number one position, as the best film festival films i have ever seen. The pace and storyline were top notch and although some of the characters were a bit weak in substance and originality it took nothing away from my enjoyment of the film. This is one i would highly recommend to any film fan except those under 13. Indeed it is one i would be proud to recommend as it has a dark and dry sense of humour and an original twist on the Christmas tale. I will buy the DVD and happily see it again; I rarely say those words these days.
I just recently caught a screening of Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale and I was definitely not disappointed. My expectations were relatively high after having seen the two short films previously released in this series, and while this version did stray somewhat from the concepts shown in the short films, it did stay true to the overall feel of the previous incarnations.
Although this film was not particularly deep or thought provoking it was very fun to watch and highly enjoyable. Somewhat creepy in places, this was mainly played up for humorous effect and overall the film displayed a dark sense of humor quite different from any Christmas movie that I have ever seen.
I would highly recommend this film to fans of the original short films or anyone looking for something a little bit different around the holiday season!
Just seen this at a Preview Screening in London.
This was an excellent little Christmas horror film but good enough for older kids above 13 to watch. Its not gory as this is one of those less is more type of films but it is quite creepy. Bizarelly, there is quite a bit of male nudity but its in such a way that you should think nothing of it. It wasn't a big deal to the on screen characters and I suspect somehow that the film makers are not expecting it to be a big deal with us either. But there were a few people in my audience who chuckled loudly and as for me, I did so, quietly, and fleetingly wanting to just watch the film unravel its mysteries.
The child antagonist was absolutely superb playing the typical "why won't the grown ups listen to me" role. How he eventually grabs their attention will have you cheering like hell. The story is well paced and creepy. With a couple of good twists and a sprinkle of humour thrown in the mix.
The soundtrack was pretty bombastic (reminiscent of Michael Giacchino "Roar" track from Cloverfield) which was great but perhaps a little too over used when a bit more subtlety was needed in certain moments of the film.
This film reminds me of my favourite old dark fable movies with child protagonists such as Night of the Hunter, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and Lost Boys. In fact I would sum this up as a Stephen King type horror story for the family.
The very ending of the film felt rather overly silly though, which is my only criticism but its not enough to knock any marks off my rating.
This might well turn into a Christmas sleeper hit, if not, perhaps later on, will be a little cult classic
I've just seen this film with my Finnish girlfriend who was delighted with the pin-sharp Finnish black Humour running through it. The acting was good but the young boy deserves great credit making his role believable. It is nice to see an alternate Xmas film doing what is a very limited run in Britain. There is much joy to behold in this film from the beautiful locations, the music score which enhanced the film and made it feel a much bigger picture and not forgetting an edit that did not add any silly modernistic cuts/editing style. I thought the ending just about summed up the film, dark black humour Finnish style, I hope this becomes a wee cult classic in the future. Go see it!