A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Blistering performances.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

"Rare Exports" is a clever, fun, Christmas themed horror-film from Finland. The cryptic title and incongruous ending refer to the short "Rare Exports, Inc." from which this feature-length film was spun-off (worth watching in its own right). Briefly, people are once again digging where they shouldn't be digging and a wrathful Christmas spirit is awakened. Pietari (Onni Tommila) is the 'little child that leads', as he tries to tell his friends and father what dwells beneath the mountain. At times comic, at other times grim, the clever story unfolds as mysterious events in the remote Lapp town begin to coalesce the night before Christmas, and there is a great 'twist' leading up to the climatic confrontation with the evil that is Santa Claus. Note: content warnings may refer 'full-frontal male nudity', which is present but completely non-erotic.

In this directorial debut by Jalmari Helander, a group of Americans are digging in Finnish Lapland, following an old legend that the true and original Santa Claus might be buried beneath the Korvatunturi mountain. A young boy named Pietari (Onni Tommila) follows their exploits with a fearful gaze because he knows that the true and original Santa Claus, if he ever existed, was quite a different figure from the Coca-Cola Santa in red we all know today.Rare Exports is one of those dark fantasy horror films which shine because they don't take themselves too seriously yet maintain a grim and foreboding atmosphere throughout. The horror tropes are in heavy use in this film yet the idea itself is ludicrous and treated as such. The characters themselves take the threat seriously, but you can see that the film makers were having fun with the concept. And it works, at least in my opinion.As far the technical aspects go, they could be better, but given the budget and the small pool of acting talent Finland has, it's surprisingly decent. Probably the only real gripe I have with the film is the over-utilization of subpar CGI during the ending climax. The effects have not aged well. And it's not even that old of a film.Still, Rare Exports is one of those perfect popcorn fantasy horror films, which allow you to indulge yourself on the dark silliness of it. Definitely worth a watch.

A completely original with a grisly twist on the origin of Santa Claus. Rare Exports is a black comedy and horror film that really takes time to build-up its creepiness with decent performance and a brilliant climax twist that guarantees itself a cult classic. There are barely any GORY scenes here so don't go in expecting that. The SCARE is build up quite well but it's still more of a tension than an actual scare here and it might turns some people off due to its slow-pacing but there's still some humors along the way as well. Overall, if you are looking for a unique horror film to watch on Christmas and not some gory cheesy slasher one then this film is definitely worth a try.>>B<<

Finnish filmmaker Jalmari Helander takes the beloved character of Santa Claus back to his roots in this dark yet provocative combination of horror, fantasy, comedy, and father-son drama that's definitely enchanting in its own way. Here, Santa is not the jolly fat gift giving man with whom we're all familiar but something more ethereal and unnerving. Helander, also credited as the production designer, gives this film a wonderful look at all times, and takes full advantage of the environment and vistas. There is some damn good atmosphere on display here. The characters here are an amusing bunch, and they're led by the young Onni Tommila in a natural and convincing performance as our child hero Pietari.Pietari lives with a widowed father named Rauno (Jorma Tommila), a reindeer herder. Near their residence, in the Korvatunturi mountains, a dig is being organized - but the man in charge of the dig is looking for something quite unusual. Soon, Rauno catches a man in one of his traps - a man who Pietari believes is *the* Santa Claus of legend. Rauno and his friends Aimo (Tommi Korpela) and Piiparinen (Rauno Juvonen) thinks that maybe they can capitalize on their discovery - but first, there's the little matter of the multitudes of "elves" that have come to rescue their master.If you're looking for something off the beaten path and are sick and tired of cheery and sentimental holiday fare, "Rare Exports" may be something you'll find interesting. It's certainly got a fair bit going for it, with a story that moves steadily along towards a reasonably exciting finale - and a delicious final joke. You'll notice that it runs a mere 83 minutes, so it doesn't go on any longer than it has to. Its music (by Juri and Miska Seppa) is beautiful, and the performances are all appealing. Overall, this is great stuff and comes highly recommended.Eight out of 10.