I had seen some of the short films that lead to the making of this feature, so I already had a pretty good idea of how it would unfold. However, this fact didn't spoil the film for me and only added to the anticipation.
Set in Finland on Christmas Eve, a father(Rauno) and son (Pietari) prepare for a reindeer hunt, that will sustain the small family financially for the new year. A parallel event, above the herding area for the hunt, is proceeding. A group of miners are preparing to unearth a mysterious creature under direction of an equally mysterious patron.
Things go downhill from there. And what make the subsequent events interesting and entertaining is the skill the director has in pacing the film and the actors in creating believable characters. Particularly charming is Onni Tommila the actor playing Pietari. I wish I could think of a better term then "warms my heart," but that's exactly how I feel when I see little Pietari running around dragging his little stuffed animal behind him. The point being that when you like a character, like Pietari, the tension is raised because you care what happens to them. The actor playing the father, Jorma Tommila (real life father to Onni), is also quite good at soliciting sympathy from the audience. It's clear from his expressions that, when the reindeer hunt goes awry, the family is in dire straits.
My main criticism might be that once the action starts, things fall so quickly into place, that it feels a little contrived. And, this is no small thing considering, we're talking about a movie that has a ghoulish Santa Claus that hunts children. But, that very same premise, in its novelty, saves the film from getting too bogged down. It's simply interesting to watch. You have Santa and his elves presented in a very, VERY different light.
I can't tell if I would have been satisfied with the ending since I already had a good idea of what was going to happen from the short films, but nevertheless, from start to finish, I found Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale quite entertaining and even a little scary in some places. And, I will forever be charmed by the films hero, Pietra.
Who knows, maybe this film will replace It's a Wonderful Life as the new Christmas standard. Probably not, but it's certainly a welcome addition to the genre and will be one I'll look forward watching again this time, next year.
