For almost a century the popular persona of a jovial, red-suited, round-faced Father Christmas has been a familiar one for many. Each year, we are led to believe, a kindly old man with supernatural powers finds his way into our rooms and brings us Christmas gifts. It is innocent, traditional and magical. Director Jalmari Helander, however, presents a frightening alternative to the tradition of Christmas Eve, set deep in remote Finland, that will have you quivering under the duvet for weeks.
Rare Exports begins in a snow drenched Finnish town a few days before Christmas where Pietari and his friend Juuso are spying on an archaeological dig. Believing that the visiting crew are digging up the tomb of Santa Claus Pietari starts to research the origin of the legend and finds out some disturbing secrets. Puzzled and frightened by what he has learnt Pietari tries to warn his friend against the arrival of Santa Claus and hatches all sorts of plans to prevent himself from being seized and spanked on Christmas Eve.
At this point Rare Exports takes a surprising turn. It moves away from the amusing worries of a child and becomes an entirely more fantastical story. When Pietari wakes up on Christmas morning to see that the bait in his father’s wolf trap has gone, he and his father little suspect the gruesome discovery that they are to find within, or the evil that they are about to encounter. A word of warning to the faint of heart; if you find yourself offended by the sight of exposed elderly men then this film is definitely not for you.
With trepidation Pietari and his father examine the wounded man that they have dragged from the wolf trap. He has a strange supernatural ability to heal, a bone-chilling way of looking at children and an extremely bedraggled red coat. Little by little Pietari convinces the adults that his fears have come true, they have captured Santa Claus and it’s quickly apparent that he has not come with good intentions.
It is easy to believe at this point in the plot that Rare Exports has revealed all the surprises that it has to offer but before the finale this unique and intriguing film has even more up its red velvet sleeve. Depicting festive cheer in a challenging and minimalist environment this film is holiday spirit stripped to the bare bones. As an example of Christmas in a different culture it is good and as a completely new reading of the Christmas Eve tradition it’s brilliant. Pietari is a great character, superbly acted, who amuses and impresses. At first intimidated, by the end of the film Pietari is unfazed by the many dangers flung in his way. His character is honest and extremely likeable.
Rare Exports, though dark, frightening and containing some very real danger for Pietari and his friends, has an extremely witty comic undertone. Like all films with an adolescent central character most of the comedy comes from the amusingly simplistic logic displayed by a child. Rare Exports does however offer something more. The outrageously surreal ending is enough to have you laughing aloud at the sheer audacity of the plot and the final solution to the escapade can only be described as genius.
This film is well conceived and fantastically made. It brings a completely different feel to a tired and worn out Christmas story and will amuse, entertain and scare the pants off viewers of any age. For the humbugs among us, who reel each year from the festive assault, this is not so much anti-Christmas but certainly Christmas with a twist.
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