A geological dig in Lapland unearths the real Santa - a massive horned creature who punishes those children who have been naughty. As Santa's elves (naked old men) attempt to thaw the block of ice in which their master is trapped, young Pietari (Onni Tommila) tries to convince his father what is happening.
Together with Dutch Xmas horror Sint (2010), Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale was responsible for kicking off a decade of Krampus/anti-Santa movies, for those who like their festive films to be less jolly and a little more twisted. Rare Exports, in particular, seems to receive a lot of praise, but I don't see what the fuss is about: the first hour or so is incredibly dull, with what feels like a lot of filler (as one might expect from a film expanded from a short story).
The last twenty minutes pick up the pace a bit, but by then, my good will was all gone. Besides, the film closes in such a stupid fashion that I simply could not excuse it: having destroyed Santa, Pietari and his father train the elves to become traditional Father Christmasses, selling them and shipping them round the world inside wooden crates - 'cos people trafficking isn't against the regulations, is it?
Slow and uneventful for the most part, with too much old man full frontal for my liking. Disappointing.
3.5/10, rounded up to 4/10 for IMDb.
Together with Dutch Xmas horror Sint (2010), Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale was responsible for kicking off a decade of Krampus/anti-Santa movies, for those who like their festive films to be less jolly and a little more twisted. Rare Exports, in particular, seems to receive a lot of praise, but I don't see what the fuss is about: the first hour or so is incredibly dull, with what feels like a lot of filler (as one might expect from a film expanded from a short story).
The last twenty minutes pick up the pace a bit, but by then, my good will was all gone. Besides, the film closes in such a stupid fashion that I simply could not excuse it: having destroyed Santa, Pietari and his father train the elves to become traditional Father Christmasses, selling them and shipping them round the world inside wooden crates - 'cos people trafficking isn't against the regulations, is it?
Slow and uneventful for the most part, with too much old man full frontal for my liking. Disappointing.
3.5/10, rounded up to 4/10 for IMDb.