16 February 2011

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale by Jessica Cree

Director: Jalmari Helander
Duration: 77mins
Rating: ***

“The real Santa is something different. The Coca-Cola Santa is just a hoax”
Rare Exports is a rather different, darker take on the sickly sweet Christmas stories we are all used to seeing at this time of year. For some, this film could be regarded as a welcomed breath of fresh air, whilst for others, simply as an oddity.
Set in Finland, the film follows Pietari (Onni Tommila) and his teddy bear, Vuppe’s quest to discover the truth about Father Christmas. American excavation company, Subzero Inc., has been brought in to dig into a mountain close to Pietari’s house, where he and his father herd reindeer. Little do they know, however, that the real Santa is buried deep within the mountain, and he may not be exactly what is said on the tin.
This film is actually quite terrifying in parts; the elves have a remarkable resemblance to the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the dolls that replace the stolen children are straight out of a horror film. Yet Rare Exports keeps a little bit of Christmas magic and there are even laugh-out-loud scenes.
So, have you been naughty or nice this year? Because Santa, whoever he may be, is on his way.

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