Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

[perkk]

On Monday night I went to go see "Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale" at the Lagoon Cinema in Uptown. I highly recommend it! It's a Finnish independent film, very off beat, and very good. It was based on a short film that obtained some cultish status on the Internet and a favorite of mine. I recently discovered that they then made a sequel short

Comments

Re: I didn't know you were so extreme?

[perkk]

not a bad back hand

Thank you. I was trying to find an alternate and contrasting way to describe Santa Clause. I didn't use attributes which seemed common to both the movie and popular culture - magical, longevity, discerning, elf mastery, toy making, hefty, aged, and somehow inexplicably related to without any obvious support from religious texts.

secular?

I guess you could say I was raised in a more secular manner, yes. We didn't belong to a church; so the times that I attended with friends or extended family were more the exception than the rule. As a result, I often found such occasions more interesting; if naught else, as a diversion from routine things.

I kind of thought of this as a Finnish Brother Grimm, in how many fairy tales often have darker roots than what we see in them today. I concur too, I loved the Audacity - both for the casual approach to nudity as well as the cold, and challenging an almost beyond reproach cultural icon. I find the premise and depiction of the elves as cattle and not people disturbing; but that is, I believe, intentional on the part of the film maker to help evoke an emotional response from the viewer to the content, and it is consistent with the vision set forth in the original short films.

Yes, it was low budget; and some of those shock scenes that made me jump in my seat were almost unforgivably a bit heavy handed and predicable; but they were funny, and I doubt I could do any better. I am glad it was able to escape those humble beginnings and reach at least a somewhat broader audience. I love it as transformation art, taking the common or ordinary and breathing a new life into it. Try to tell me you won't now occasionally envision Santa trying to bite a kid's head off when they're loud or ill behaved and in his lap at the department store or mall.

Re: I didn't know you were so extreme?

[tkn1114]

I'm still checking out the vvhole series, so fill me in.

somehow inexplicably related to without any obvious support from religious texts.

This is "loosely" based on some kind of Finnish folkrore, right?

I thought the elves vvere the mutilated raindeers the hunters found in the snovv? I thought that vvas avvesome.

I've alvvays believed there is a dark side to Santa before this film! I remember reading books and hearing tales about "the ogre Santa Claus". But the training in this film vvas hilarious! :-.)

As a result, I often found such occasions more interesting; if naught else, as a diversion from routine things.

This is hovv I see religion, too. VVe have this in common. I vvas brought up to be respectful of other people's beliefs, regardless of religious brand. But it's still "touristic". VVe vvere brought up on the premise that spirituality =/= religiosity (before O ever heard of that vvord), so faith does not have to be religious but can be very secular. So Enlightenment is completely independent of religion. This is an important aspect of my upbringing and existence for vvhich I'm very grateful to my parents.

Re: I didn't know you were so extreme?

[perkk]

Oh for the text reference, I mean how there's no reference to Santa Clause in the Bible. He could easily pick any day of the year.

I thought perhaps the elves were freed from the icy crypt, but upon reflection perhaps the transformation of reindeer makes more sense.

Yes, I think we are similar in our approach to religion.