Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
Encyclopedia
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is a 2010
Finnish
fantasy film
directed by Jalmari Helander about people living near the Korvatunturi mountain
who discover the secret behind Santa Claus
. The film is based on a 2003 short film "Rare Exports Inc." by Jalmari and Juuso Helander.
herder
s whose Christmas is disturbed by excavations on the mountain. A scientist has ordered a team of workers to dig open what he calls "the largest burial mound in the world". An explosive used by the team uncovers what is referred to as a "sacred grave". However, the occupant of the grave is still alive. Soon, the reindeer important to the local people are mysteriously killed, and children and supplies begin to disappear from the town. It emerges that the occupant is the source of the original Santa Claus myth; a supernatural being who, rather than rewarding good children, punishes the naughty. One family, however, manages to catch the culprit in a trap, and plans to sell it to the scientist to cover the losses caused by his excavation.
. After the positive reception from the internet audience, Woodpecker Film produced and published the sequel short movie "Rare Exports: The Official Safety Instructions" in 2005, again with Helander as director and author.
reports that 90 % of critics have given the film a positive review based on 69 reviews, with an average score of 6.8/10, making the film a "certified fresh" on the website's rating system. Roger Ebert
awarded the film three and a half out of four stars and called it "an original, daring, carefully crafted film".
2010 in film
The year 2010 saw many new films released worldwide. 2010 saw a dramatic increase and prominence in the use of 3D-technology in filmmaking and film releases after the success of Avatar in the format, with releases such as Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans, Jackass 3D, all animated films and...
Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
fantasy film
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
directed by Jalmari Helander about people living near the Korvatunturi mountain
Korvatunturi
Korvatunturi is a fell in Lapland. It is located within Urho Kekkonen National Park in the municipality of Savukoski. The Finnish name translates to "Ear Fell"....
who discover the secret behind Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
. The film is based on a 2003 short film "Rare Exports Inc." by Jalmari and Juuso Helander.
Plot
The film focuses on a group of local reindeerReindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
herder
Herder
A herder is a worker who lives a possibly semi-nomadic life, caring for various domestic animals, in places where these animals wander pasture lands....
s whose Christmas is disturbed by excavations on the mountain. A scientist has ordered a team of workers to dig open what he calls "the largest burial mound in the world". An explosive used by the team uncovers what is referred to as a "sacred grave". However, the occupant of the grave is still alive. Soon, the reindeer important to the local people are mysteriously killed, and children and supplies begin to disappear from the town. It emerges that the occupant is the source of the original Santa Claus myth; a supernatural being who, rather than rewarding good children, punishes the naughty. One family, however, manages to catch the culprit in a trap, and plans to sell it to the scientist to cover the losses caused by his excavation.
Development
In 2003 the Finnish commercials production company Woodpecker Film published the short movie "Rare Exports Inc." on the internet. Here author and director Jalmari Helander established a band of three hunters (marker, sniper and tracker) searching the wilderness of Lapland for the wild Santa ClausSanta Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
. After the positive reception from the internet audience, Woodpecker Film produced and published the sequel short movie "Rare Exports: The Official Safety Instructions" in 2005, again with Helander as director and author.
Critical reception
Review aggregate Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 90 % of critics have given the film a positive review based on 69 reviews, with an average score of 6.8/10, making the film a "certified fresh" on the website's rating system. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
awarded the film three and a half out of four stars and called it "an original, daring, carefully crafted film".