Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (And proof that Finland is insane)

[Pirateship1982]

Ever since I saw the bizarro Downton Abbey to Kabbalah Omen story arc of Fanny and Alexander I knew that Scandinavian filmmakers were a little nuts.

But when I saw a movie where Santa gets hunted down by Finnish rednecks, well that one deserved a view! And I have to admit, it was pretty entertaining. I hope they intended it as a comedy, because I laughed through the whole movie. It's weirdness complimented the package.

Basically the plotline is Santa has been discovered. Only instead of a jolly old elf he's a hybrid between a Resident Evil boss and Judge Dredd for kids. Ultimately the Finns take it upon themselves to send Kringle back to the pit of hell from which he came.

Seriously, watch it. The plot is beyond bizarre but it's so crazy it's funny.

And also kind of surprising.

Given the European squeamishness over guns, this movie is positively loaded with them. Every character and I mean EVERY character doesn't so much as go to the john without their trusty rifle. The characters wear their rifles even when they aren't wearing their pants! And even the kids, every one of them, is traipsing around with rifles - one packing a shotgun almost bigger than he is (and clearly without any instruction on how to safely operate one given how much that barrell wanders into sighting other cast members while the kid carries it around).

One would think the anti-gun crowd would be ing enough bricks to build a ziggurat over all that firepower being casually wielded by children.

San Francisco alone this many bricks just watching the trailer.

I guess in Finland guns are a fashion accessory as well as a tool.

A Winchester 70? Come on Frank, it's after Labor Day!

I will say this though, those guys make some wild sweaters.

I rip on it and MST3K should really do a riff track on this, but it is a crazy funny movie to watch. Brings the spirit of Halloween and Christmas right together!

[Castro]

On the topic of guns, Finland has a gun tradition, not sure how it stacks up to the US but it's hunter land and also getting invaded every now and then helps.
I wouldn't call europeans squeamish over guns any more than I'd call americans squeamish about bidets, it simply isn't a tradition to have them, which is why action movies set in Europe can't so easily show regular people armed. In a US zombie movie if you need a gun you just go to the nearest house or pickup truck, failing that, there's apparently a gun store in every corner. It would be silly in a european zombie movie for everyone to be packing a few hours after the zombies show up.

Our supposed phobia of guns is something unheard of in my country, and more often than not fabricated for political purposes in the US. What doesn't make it across the atlantic is that while guns are one of the key political issues in the US, it is a non-issue in most countries in Europe. It wouldn't pop up in a debate or in the program of a political party, people just don't care. That's very different from being opposed to guns or something.
My uncle has a bunch of rifles, a friend of mine has a shotgun, I honestly have never heard anyone I know complain about gun laws, ever, either for or against.