Un cuento gamberro de Navidad

I just recently caught a screening of Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale and I was definitely not disappointed. My expectations were relatively high after having seen the two short films previously released in this series, and while this version did stray somewhat from the concepts shown in the short films, it did stay true to the overall feel of the previous incarnations.

Although this film was not particularly deep or thought provoking it was very fun to watch and highly enjoyable. Somewhat creepy in places, this was mainly played up for humorous effect and overall the film displayed a dark sense of humor quite different from any Christmas movie that I have ever seen.

I would highly recommend this film to fans of the original short films or anyone looking for something a little bit different around the holiday season!

'Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)' is weird. Not weird in the quirky sense, just weird. It has a bizarre plot but it takes itself almost entirely seriously, it's increasingly outlandish but it it's never playful, it's dark and gritty but it's never tense or scary... it's difficult to describe, really. It isn't quite a comedy, despite being absurd; it isn't quite a horror, despite being grim. It sits in an odd sort of limbo between genres. Who is its intended audience? I'm not sure that even it knows. I can't see it being a cult classic because it isn't 'bad' enough, but I can't see being a critical darling because it isn't 'good' enough. It has a decent atmosphere and it's fairly compelling, but it doesn't seem to move past its initial stages and a huge chunk of its plot is portrayed as a montage just before its end credits. Like I said, it's weird. It's a fairly decent effort, though, and I don't think anyone can claim that it's generic. 6/10

For me this is one of those films that I just instantly took to heart, it has the sort of implicit comedy that you expect from the Cohen brothers, and a theme which really plays with your ideas of horror. It does help if you have a bit of background in Finnish mythology, there's no explanation, even in the subtitles, of the yule goat, and the word Joulupukki's close links to old stories about a sort of mischievous Christmas devil. It does introduce some of the old stories, but doesn't explain how they are actually commonly known history pertaining to Father Christmas in Finland, and weren't made up for the film or anything like that. Other than that, the film is visually beautiful, musically dramatic to at least the extent that Danny Elfman had ever achieved for Tim Burton, and has a sort of dignity that something with an undercurrent of comedy rarely has, relying on its ability to be funny without trying, something that Quinten Tarantino and the Cohen Brothers often leave us slack jawed over. I definitely recommend it.

I really enjoyed this movie, harkening back to 80s classics like Tremors or gremlins where a small-town community must deal with a large threat that terrorizes their way of life. While Christmas horror films have been done before, such as silent night deadly night or Black Christmas, this movie puts its own spin on the genre and helps capture a tone and comedy that is unique to this Finnish production.

'What if Father Christmas was evil?' That's the general premise of the film that drives the narrative and I appreciate that the film took itself seriously, it didn't divulge into making the entire premise a joke like an asylum film would, and it's better for it!

The acting was spot on especially from the child actor (Onni Tommila) and the dad (Jorma Tommila). Story and atmosphere are fantastic in the first two acts. The mystery that builds up is slow and gripping as you begin to thaw into its icy interior. The cinematography excels at showing the unique location of the Icey, harsh and ragged landscape of the Korvatunturi mountains in rural Finland, adding a great deal to the film's atmosphere.

However, It drags in the middle with a long time dedicated Inside a slaughterhouse, this part really kills it's pacing and stops the plot in its tracks. Then there's the third act... it's bad. If you look at other reviews online, the same complaints keep cropping up; Terrible CGI, plot convenience, and the comedy & atmosphere that made the first two acts so great disappear from the film.

I was still very positive on the film and would recommend especially if you're sick of the same old Christmas movies and want something new and unique this holiday season.

I know Christmas is supposed to be a time of happiness and cheer in which jolly old Santa Claus bestows gifts upon the children. Well, not in Finland. Their Santa Claus legend is a lot darker and scarier per "Rare Exports." Their Santa Claus eats naughty children and he's about to make a reappearance.

A mining company was in Russia at the Korvatunturi drill site looking for a precious commodity. What they found was Santa Claus encased in ice and buried under tons of rock. After digging him up the reindeer lay disemboweled and children came up missing. Only a young boy named Pietari (Onni Tommila) knew what was happening. If the adults were to ever know what was going on, they would have to listen to Pietari.

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