Film Reviews: A Christmas Tale (2010)
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010). Written and directed by Jalmari Helander. Set in Finland, the film initially follows the exploits of some reindeer herders who are due to reap their crop as Christmas approaches. When most of the reindeer are discovered inexplicably slaughtered the herders seek vengeance on a local mining company, who have been the subject of rumours around the local town. The son of one of the herders believes there's more to it though, and doesn't want Christmas to arrive. Rare Exports was definitely a fun film for me, but it never quite achieves brilliance. The story is a bit unevenly paced, but does move along reasonably. The performances are pretty good throughout, and it all ties off well. If you can stand a "small" subtitled film you could do a lot worse, but bear in mind this isn't a Christmas tale for kids (at least the young ones). 4/5 (Good)