Exporting The Christmas Spirit

I was going to try and get two reviews in yesterday. I got both movies in, but not both reviews. I got sidetracked by some friends when I started to watch the second movie, not that I am complaining. It was a nice way to be sidetracked, especially on Christmas. All was not lost though. I did get one review in at least. Over at Top Horror Movies Club I did a review for the movie Saint. It was supposed to be one of two Christmas themed movies for yesterday, with Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010) being the review for her. So I'm a couple of days late, nothing new there. This one, out of Finland, wasn't listed as a horror film on IMDb, but it does border the genre some.

An archaeological dig is happening just across the Finland border that is being kept very secret. An American believes he has found something that his been lifetime goal. Two little boys are spying on this and one of them, Pietari (Onni Tommila), believes that they have found the real Santa Clause. Weeks go by as Christmas nears. Pietari gets more worried at the last couple of days get closer because he believes Santa has been spying on him. His father (Jorma Tommila) takes him along on a hunt where they will gather reindeer, their main income. They discover that almost all of the reindeer have been killed already though. Believing that is because of the blasting, causing the wolves to hunt elsewhere, they head up to the dig only to discover there isn't anyone there. The next day Pietari finds that the bait above a wolf pit his father had dug is gone. But it isn't a wolf that is in there. Could it be Santa Clause?

I have been curious about Rare Exports ever since I first heard about it. What I didn't know is that there are two shorts dating back to 2003 and 2005. If you have never watched either one, you can find them on the DVD, or even on YouTube if you don't want to wait that long. They are both worth the watch, but don't have much to do with the movie itself. Even though both shorts are considered prequels, I would have to disagree with that. Anyway, Rare Exports is a fun film. It does take a little while to get going, but once it grabs you, it is hard to stop watching from then on. It isn't really a horror film, but there is talk about how evil Santa is, and then there is how the real Santa looks as well. It was a little odd with it starting out in English. I wasn't really expecting that at all. A problem I can see for some people is that there is some male nudity thrown in at places. It didn't bother me, and it was one of the rare films that had male nudity only. In fact, there is barely a female to be found. There is only one scene I can think of that had a woman in it, and I don't think she had a speaking line. While Rare Exports doesn't appeal to everyone, what film does truth be told, I liked a lot mostly because it is so different. The myth of Santa isn't explained completely here, only hinted at really, but it was enough to make things a little different. I wasn't sure what the plans were for the children, so I do wish they had made that a little more clear.

Not a lot of effects to be found with this one. There are some dead reindeer, and a guy gets his ear chewed on. There is one where someone gets a pickax to the head though. The acting was what surprised me the most. Films that have kid actors in the lead role can go either way faster than other films I think. If the kid actors don't stand out, the film is lost pretty early then. In this case, I really liked Onni Tommila in the lead role. He sort of shares that with his father, which is pretty cool in my book. Not often you see father and son playing father and son on screen. You can also find Tommi Korpella, Rauno Juvonen and Per Christian Ellefsen.

The main thing that seems to decide if a person will hate or love Rare Exports was the ending. Depending on how you look at it, the film may, or may not, deliver after a build up towards the end. I admit that it didn't end in a way I was expecting, but I still liked it. In its own way Rare Exports is a coming of age story. That is what I loved about it all. I would go into more, but feel I would be spoiling it if I did. Rare Exports does have some small problems of course. It can be a little slow, and not everything in the story makes sense. If you have watched the two shorts, then you will pretty well figure out what the very end of this movie will be. I know some people feel that Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is way over rated, but I still loved it a lot. Might be one I will work in every Christmas for now on. If you haven't checked it out yet, give it a go!
4 out of 5 I don't think I will have a Santa sent to me