RARE EXPORTS: 7 PM Tuesday, December 5
1225 Elm St, Cincinnati, 45202
THE STORYAn entertaining and unpredictable thriller from Finland. With sly, deadpan humor, Rare Exports is an inventive and suspenseful parody of traditional Christmas movie and horror genres. Complete with a Santa Claus that Mommy won't be kissing under the mistletoe!
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In Finnish, Joulupukki means "Yule Goat," who was part of pagan festivities honoring the solstice and return of the sun. The predecessor to Saint Nicholas (who came to Nordic lands from Turkey by way of Europe), he was a larger-than-life old man who wore goat skins and horns, known to frighten and punish children who had behaved badly.
According to the legend, the Sami (Laplander) people captured Joulupukki after he fell into a lake and was frozen in a block of ice. To keep him from terrorizing children, they built a huge mound with the ice-bound Joulupukki embedded within.
Present Day: It's almost Christmas in the isolated far north of Finland. Among the remote pine forests and frozen lakes, thousands of reindeer roam the land. Korvatunturi is a "fell" or mountain in Lapland on the Russian border, which legend says was the ancient home of Joulupukki and his gnomes, later attributed to Father Christmas and his elves.
In a small village near Korvtunturi residents are preparing for the Holiday and the annual roundup of the reindeer herd. Rauno is a reindeer rancher by trade, assisted by his young son, Pietari. His wife is dead, the reindeer business is failing and life is hard for Rauno and his son.
But things are about to get worse.
What happened to the reindeer herd? Wolves? So many slaughtered, but so little eaten. Wolves don't normally do that.
Maybe it has to do with a top-secret international "archaeological dig" at the summit of Korvatunturi, and a large block of ice removed from the core of the mountain?
An avid reader and student of legends, young Pietari suspects the worst as kids from the village disappear, as do odd things like the town's heaters and a farmer's potato sacks. What about the mysterious figures lurking in the forest? And bare footprints found on a roof? Strange things are happening - what's going on?
We know, but aren't telling. See for yourself. Join us for an entertaining Yuletide romp packed with sly wit, suspense, solid scares, naked geriatrics and a final twist with global implications!
EVENT DETAILS
• Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, director Jalmari Helandar; 2010; Finland; 82 minutes; in English and Finnish with English subtitles. Preceded by an allegedly humorous shorts segment, total run time for both approximately 90 minutes.
In the U.S., Rated R for incidental male nudity – which is a shame because it is definitely not salacious – just a bunch of graybeard, wrinkled geriatrics. PG-13 might be more appropriate, if a young person is mature enough to handle a glimpse of grandpa's willy.
• Tuesday, December 05, 7:00 PM, in the beautiful, newly renovated Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St, Cincinnati 45202. Map and Parking Info
• Tickets for the event (social hour with cash bar, film, post-film discussion) are:
Adult general admission, $10 advance, $15 door.
Adult reserved boxes, $15 advance, $20 door.
Student/ArtsPass general admission, $8 advance, $12 door — must show valid ID upon arrival.
All tickets available online and at (859) 957-FILM.
• Seating Comfort — Some patrons have found the wooden seats to be somewhat unforgiving. You may bring a cushion with you to the screening.
• QUESTIONS? Please or call (859) 957 3456.
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