Finally. An antidote to all the goddam, happy-clappy Christmas films arrives in the form of Rare exports, the sort of film that plunges you into a merry-go-round of insanity for an hour and a half and in that time never runs out of surprises.
A Finnish movie, Rare exports is largely in its native language, although there are sections which are in English, so expect subtitles. The movie, which is set on the border between Finland and Russia, is rife with humour arising both from the situations the characters find themselves in and political history between the two countries. The plot itself is superficially simple – Santa is not the cuddly, sherry-addled gent that we’ve been led to believe but rather a malicious creature hell-bent on punishing naughty children. Indeed, his punishment of local children became such an irritation that the locals trapped old Santa in a block of ice and imprisoned him in a mountain from whence a scheming (and slightly oily) entrepreneur would like to dg him up. Said activity has a… unique effect on the local populace and mayhem ensues, leading the characters into a variety of situations that veer between poignant, amusing and downright scary. I would, of course, love to tell you more, but to do so would be to spoil the wonderfully-written plot of this marvellous movie so if you want to find out more you’ll just have to go and see it.
The film itself is excellently written and paced. A relatively svelte 84 minutes, the film still manages to pass in the blink of an eye thanks to a well balanced script and superb performances from the cast. High praise has to go to Omni Tommila as the young Pietari who manages to play his character without a hint of the irritation that is normally aroused by children in films. Intelligent without being obnoxious, faintly tragic without being whiny and brave when the situation calls for it, Omni provides a performance that is absolutely spot on and his skill is matched by the adults in the film, especially the boy’s father Rauno (Jorma Tommila) who is torn between trying to do the right thing for his son and trying to make a living in the barren environment the duo find themselves living in. Helping to give the film a timeless quality, the poverty of the central characters and the remoteness of the area also precludes the film being filled with unnecessary technology which means that Rare exports will date well guaranteeing it a place in the festive season for years to come.
With the story and acting firmly in place, Rare exports also comes up trumps in the cinematography stakes. Well filmed with even the darkest scenes represented with simple clarity, the film captures the abandoned, snow-strewn landscape perfectly, while clever shots of the protagonists in the film maintains a satisfying air of mystery rarely found in western films which feel the need to treat the audience as simpletons in desperate need of a big reveal to offset the possibility that they may have to use their imagination – here, imagination is key and the film cleverly hides more than it reveals thus avoiding any possible disappointment at the film’s climax as a result of enthusiastic but ultimately shoddy special effects (consider how much better the house on haunted hill, say, would have been without the dodgy CGI ending and you’ll see what I mean). The music is also excellent, far beyond what you might expect from a low-budget, independent film and its subtle strains perfectly enhance the atmosphere of the movie.
Overall this is the perfect anti-Christmas movie. While there are still messages of familial love, brotherhood and friendship, these bonds are found within the characters and not brought about by the ‘magic of Christmas’. Equally, the plot is treated with gentle humour so that the elements of horror never overwhelm the viewer. If you enjoyed the nightmare before Christmas or the dark humour of Gremlins, this is a Christmas movie that will be right up your street – inventive, intelligent and often very funny – it’s an absolute treasure.
