Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)
R   1 hour 24 minutes
Finland

I saw on Amazon Prime 01/07/2017.



There is a minimal amount of English spoken in this movie. Most of the dialogue is only in English subtitles. This does not slow up this movie in any way. The on-point acting almost makes the foreign (Norwegian and Finnish) dialect irrelevant. This is a very funny movie. However be warned, there is gore and deaths on screen.

This movie goes into the "true" story of the original Santa and his elves. While the plot is straightforward, the cluelessness, but not stupidity, of the adult locals makes one unexpected character the hero and savior.

The editing is fast, no scene ever overstays its welcome. The actors are all well-cast. The standout is the son Pietari Kontio (as acted by Onni Tommila) of Rauno Kontio (as acted by Jorma Tommila). Pietari is a child of many abilities which seem to escalate in value as this movie speeds towards its well-filmed conclusion. The director (Jalmari Helander) keeps this movie going at a brisk pace leaving the viewer wanting more, but more is not needed.  The cinematography is beautiful, with at least a slight debt to the setting, Korvatunturi mountains within a national park in Finland.

This movie is for those interested in horror, humor and fantasy.