Christmas is a time for tradition – presents, decorations, carols, and mince pies. But what better tradition to celebrate than the Christmas movie? Join The Hollywood News for the Movie Advent Calendar – a film each day ’til Christmas. For the full Advent Calendar so far, click here.
In a definitive roundup of all-time best Christmas flicks, where better to turn than to the country that inspired much of the legend and the home of Santa Claus himself (in many accounts), Finland. Keeping spoiled kiddies annually entertained for decades, the Lapland holiday season is one of the nation’s biggest revenue earners; the region once described as the ‘Santa tourism superpower of the world’. But after watching this sinister little piece of festive cinema, you may want to reconsider any yuletide trips to the land of the northern lights.
Be assured that RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS STORY is far from your standard seasonal movie and for kids it’s a definite no-no. In fact even adults should err on the side of caution when deciding to watch, as doing so could potentially mangle any warm and fuzzy feelings you may still be harbouring towards the holiday’s roly poly mascot. Based around a duo of short films by Jalmari and Juuso Helande, this dark fantasy-cum-supernatural horror gem sets to expose the real Kris Kringle: the one who whips the wicked, beats the bad apples and stews up the naughty with his Boxing Day leftovers.
Based upon traditional Finnish folklore, the film takes place beneath the shadow of the Korvatunturi Mountain: an ominous, 486ft fell beneath which Father Christmas himself, or Joulupukki as the natives know him, is said to reside. After learning of a mysterious excavation underway atop the structure, we are introduced to the hero of our tale, Pietari Kontio: a spritely pre-teen waif played by Oni Tommila, whose cheeky punim and bold determination could give even 90’s era Culkin a run for his money! Like many in his reindeer herding clan, the little lad begins to speculate on the reasons for the nearby disturbance and settles on the only logical conclusion: it’s Christmas time and Santa’s out for blood! Of course nobody believes the ramblings of a small child, but following a series of unexplained events about town, the locals decide to take action. Traps are laid and an angry mob is formed to little effect, but the plot really begins to thicken when the Kontio’s find something untoward caught in one of their Punji pits. Something carrying a large sack. Something bearded. Promptly hog-tying the individual after it begins to show signs of general creepiness, the burley townsfolk – dollar signs flashing in their eyes – postulate over the lucrative nature of their new guest and ransom demands are rapidly are drawn up.
It’s at this point that the movie pretty much explodes into a guns blazing, high-flying free-for-all with plucky Pietari chiefly steering at the helm. Charged with stopping Santa by any means possible, the boy and his elders soon find themselves caught in a race to save not only Christmas but childhood innocence as we know it. Suffice it to say that this is one December 24th that these sleepy mountain folk ain’t gonna forget in a hurry. Falling somewhere between THE DESCENT and SANTA CLAUS: THE MOVIE; RARE EXPORTS offers a panicked gasp of fresh air from the customary Xmas playlist and as for its curious title; well you’ll just have to wait for the tongue-in-cheek climax for your explanation.
While the plot might sound pretty grim on paper, the film is by no means devoid of Christmas cheer – you just have to dig a little deeper to find it (pun intended). Though a fantastic genre piece in its own right, if you put aside the image of butchered reindeer and a wizened, bloodthirsty Santa thing taking a chomp out of a grown man’s ear and pour your focus into Pietari’s story, I’m sure, like me, you’ll discover a semblance of holiday spirit. The character’s transformation from neglected scaredy cat to triumphant hero is mirrored in so many of our beloved Christmas fables, both cinematic and otherwise. A sense of community and co-operation lies at the heart of the film and our protagonist’s family relationships, while strained at the beginning, reach a toasty warm conclusion by the roll of the credits. Finally, we cannot forget that the villain of this piece isn’t really the same Santa Claus we know and love; the one from the Coca Cola ads and shopping mall grottos and dreams and wishes of kids worldwide. This is a very different breed of Father X: a lurking bogeyman bent on global infanticide and a threat to the spirit of Christmas itself. There’s no shame in rooting for his blood: he’s the original Bad Santa and it’s in his potential defeat and Pietari’s victory that we find our exultation. Because ultimately, RARE EXPORTS is a story of good vs. evil and isn’t that what Christmas is really all about…right?
Call it what you will: a frightening moral piece on childhood compliance, an education in cultural variance and the malleability of myth or simply a Christmas film with a difference. Whatever your interpretation, RARE EXPORTS is a more than deserving of its place in our countdown, if not for its originally, then for the ominous, if not valid lesson it imparts: be good for goodness sake!
