Review: Rare Exports (2010)

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is a delightful surprise. Set in the mountains of Finland during the Christmas holidays (December 23 and 24 to be exact), the story is about a group of archaeologists excavating a mountain and the locals from the surrounding village. The narrative focuses on young Pietari (Tommi Korpela), a pre-teen boy who is keenly aware of what the archaeologists have unearthed and the danger the village is in. When Pietari’s father, Rauno (Jorma Tommila), and his fellow slaughterhouse butchers discover their reindeer prey have been mysteriously mutilated near a fenced in entrance to the mountain, they begin to investigate and soon come face to face with a creature resembling the Santa Claus of local legend - a much different version than the current commercialized iconic character. After a few twists and turns, the full threat of the monster is revealed, and it is up to Pietari to save his family and village from “Santa’s elves” and possibly the demonic Krampus from Northern European legends.

From the description, one may think this is a holiday film for the entire family and in many ways it could be; however, it is a fantasy for adults who are children at heart. The film may not be appropriate for most kids; it is full of f-bombs and full-monty Santas. Not exactly material for U.S. families. But the story is a fascinating coming-of-age tale of a young boy discovering his worth while exploring the legend of Santa and his elves. This isn’t the dime-store jolly Santa in a red coat and black boots, this is the age-old European Santa legend and, boy, is he creepy and frightening - and he’s ready to punish the local children. At a brisk 80 minutes running time (a perfect length), Rare Exports keeps things moving along and smiles on the audience's faces. Except for Pietari, the script is light on character work; instead, it focuses on telling the story, running over conceived notions of Santa, and allowing its lead character to win the hearts of the audience.

Rare Exports also has two extraordinary accomplishments going for it: the cinematography by Mika Orasmaa and the original sound track by Juri Seppä and Miska Seppä. The shots of the Finland mountaintops are breathtaking. When Riley, the financier of the archaeological dig, is giving his opening speech with the snow-covered Korvatunturi mountains behind him, it’s jaw dropping and beautiful. The village homes and slaughterhouse are lit and photographed in a realistic manner making their lifestyle all the more authentic. The small village feels very isolated from the modern world. When the mysterious mountain creatures begin to reveal themselves from within the forest, it’s haunting and foreboding. In another scene the falling snow dances around young Pietari as he stands his ground. For the sound design, as the camera pans the locales, the accompanying original music is lush and rousing - as well done as any Hollywood film. Rare Exports contains one of the more memorable efforts in some time. The orchestrated score pulls you into the story, the landscape and adventure that lies upon the screen.

While all the actors do a tremendous job at presenting a convincing world for Rare Exports, Per Christian Ellefsen as Riley the financier and Onni Tommila as Pietari the young boy are stand-outs in the cast. Ironically they both have the same innocence and youthful imaginative performances even though they differ in age by fifty years. Riley is chasing the Santa legend from his youth, but is corrupted by his adult experiences. He understands what he has excavated from the Finnish mountain and the revelation of the discovery enlivens the character. He is both giddy and apprehensive about his discovery. Likewise for Pietari, he also knows what is happening in the dark countryside and the revelation of the creature's origin brings his character a similar life and purpose. Riley stands atop the mountain claiming “We have a grave to rob” while Pietari sits at the mountain's base fighting to save his family and friends. Pietari’s character arc reveals the man inside the young boy and the intelligence and courage that his fellow villagers fail to recognize, including his own father. “Tell my father what I did” he requests as he prepares to sacrifice himself to the creatures in order to save his village and the children.

Also of note is Peeter Jakobi who plays the Santa-like creature that Riley releases from the mountain prison. His slender, sharp features and quiet stillness are chilling and fascinating, likely to produce some goose-pimples. He has no lines but his gaze alone is as memorable as a well-written soliloquy. The trio of men that portray the slaughterhouse family are a winning bunch as well, drawing the audience’s sympathy to their plight - their struggling business and their deadly encounter. They are so disarmingly entertaining, it is not difficult to root for them throughout the conclusion. Oddly, there are no women in the cast (aside from a few extras), Pietari has no mother and there are no women in the hunting party nor the excavation team.

Directed by Jalmari Helander, Rare Exports is a darkly comedic holiday treat with a chilling twist on the Santa legend. The film is an expanded version of his award winning shorts from 2003 and 2005. While the direction is still horrific in tone, Helander holds back from being too graphic, enabling the narrative to maintain a warm, childlike innocence. A little too free with its language and nudity for U.S. audiences, Rare Exports is still a perfect winter treat for the young at heart and can easily warrant annual viewing. Already being rightfully compared to Joe (Gremlins) Dante and Tim (Sweeny Todd, Alice in Wonderland) Burton, Jalmari Helander is a promising new talent and his Rare Exports should not be missed. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is being released in the U.S. this December by Oscilloscope Laboratories beginning in New York and L.A., then expanding throughout the States with limited screenings.