Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale instantly places itself alongside many of the cult Christmas classics such as A Christmas Story and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. This inventive Finnish production re-imagines the myth of Santa Claus into a dry and morbid, yet cheerfully sublime tale.
Young Pietari begins to notice a correlation between American excavators at a nearby mountain and recent st rage events happening around town such as mass reindeer killings and stolen radiators. The villagers rely on the reindeer for a living, and their future looks bleak.
This film will also find its way in more than just the cult Christmas classics, but in lists of both adults and children in the near future. The film is rather aware of itself, Pietari even acknowledges that he was more used to the Coca-Cola version of Santa, the holiday hero who brought presents and devoured cookies late at night. He was a symbol of commercialism. Instead, Rare Exports explores the idea that Santa was a bringer of discipline; including spankings and devouring children instead of cookies.
The film accomplishes exactly what it sets out to achieve, to be dark, charming, and uplifting. While this ridiculous tale pokes fun at the original myth of Santa and how his origin is deeply rooted in marketing as a economic strategy, the film does not deviate too far from this same premise toward the end, albeit in parallel with the film’s wondrous twist.
The cinematography matches with the dry humor by portraying high production values. Crisp, bright whites from the snow and epic use of the widescreen frame. The low angle shots of the elves’ feet offer a ominous mood, while the rest of the plot reveals their winkable beastly ways.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is the holiday film for those who do not celebrate or enjoy the holidays. It is the perfect film to re-imagine the traditional conceptions of Satan Clause, turn it upside down, inside out, and regurgitate a fun, charming, morbidly dry, and wholly original film with high replay value. Do enjoy this film with others, as Rare Exports is a communal experience—the laughs and smiles should be enjoyed together.
