Film & TV Lunch Club: December 2023 - Christmas Around the World

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale; Joyeux Noel; Christmas Carole

Dec 01, 2023

low angle photography of giant Christmas tree — Photo by Jorge Fernández Salas on Unsplash

December is here and I can say, hand on heart, that I’ve only watched one Christmas film ahead of today. I was peer-pressured this week with a lot of “Oh, go on!” type remarks into watching Click and Collect, a 53 minute British odd-couple buddy comedy with Stephen Merchant and Asim Chaudhry, who are neighbours that go in search of a toy unicorn in time for Christmas morning. Since watching it a couple of years ago, it has just become a festive staple in our house. It’s harmless, silly and heartwarming so I fully recommend it for a quick and easy watch at the start of the season.

For this month’s theme, we are focusing on how Christmas is depicted around the world. There are plenty of festive films that we all know and love from the UK and USA, but I wanted to use the club to highlight some from outside of the usual Christmas canon.

Happy holidays to anyone reading this - I hope you have a very merry or restful time, depending on what it is you need as the year draws to a close! Enjoy 🎄

Here is the selection and long list for December:

🎞 December Selection 🎞

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale Trailer | Dir. Jalmari Helander

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010; Dir. Jalmari Helander; Finland)
In the depths of the Korvatunturi mountains, 486 meters deep, lies the closest ever guarded secret of Christmas. The time has come to dig it up.
Stream on Freevee or buy on Apple TV.
Joyeux Noel (2005; Dir. Christian Carion; France/Germany)
In December 1914, an unofficial Christmas truce on the Western Front allows soldiers from opposing sides of the First World War to gain insight into each other's way of life.
Rent or buy on Apple TV, Amazon, YouTube and other online retailers.
Christmas Carole (1965; Dir. Agnes Varda; France)
Varda’s loose take on Dickens. Short film - an unfinished project.
Stream on Now TV.

🎬 The Long List: Optional Extras 🎬

Other notable films suggested for the theme:

8 Women / 8 femmes - France - One murdered man, eight women, each seeming to be eager than the others to know the truth. Gimme, gimme, gimme some clues to make up my mind. And eventually enter the truth.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale - Finland - In the depths of the Korvatunturi mountains, 486 meters deep, lies the closest ever guarded secret of Christmas. The time has come to dig it up. This Christmas everyone will believe in Santa Claus.
Home for Christmas - Norway - When the constant comments on her single status and society's expectations of the perfect family Christmas finally get to 30-year-old Johanne, she starts a 24-day hunt for a partner to bring home for Christmas (Netflix series).

Felicidades - Argentina - Shows how several characters spend Christmas Eve in Buenos Aires, and how their lives intersect.
Over Christmas - Germany - Bastian returns home for the holidays to learn that his brother is dating his ex, and if that wasn't enough, his parents are also keeping a big secret (Netflix mini-series).
Will It Snow for Christmas? - France - A woman keeps a happy home for her seven children despite the tyranny of her mostly absent husband.
Troublemakers / Botte di Natale - Italy - Two brothers who hate each other are going to spend Christmas with their mother. She tries to get them together.
Three Days of Christmas - Spain - Four sisters celebrate Christmas in their family home at 3 different times in their lives: teen-hood, adulthood and elderly age (mini-series).
Just Another Christmas / Tudo Bem No Natal Que Vem - Brazil - Stuck in a time loop where it's forever Christmas, a family man who hates the holiday starts to learn valuable lessons about what's important in life.
The Taste of Christmas / El sabor de la Navidad - Mexico - Three separate groups navigate the emotionally fraught season of Christmas.
Tokyo Godfathers / Tôkyô goddofâzâzu - Japan - On Christmas Eve, three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo discover a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents.
Listy do M. - Poland - A romantic comedy set on Christmas Eve in Warsaw and centered around a series of characters.
Vacanze di Natale - Italy - Christmas holidays on the snow of Cortina D'Ampezzo. Mario, a guy from Rome who has little money, falls in love with American Samantha, the girlfriend of hypochondriac Roberto.
The Day of the Beast / El día de la bestia - Spain/Italy - Bent on committing as many sins as possible to avert the birth of the beast, a Catholic priest teams up with a Black Metal aficionado and an Italian connoisseur of the occult. Now, he must become an unrelenting sinner.
The Christmas Dream / Le rêve de Noël - France - a 1900 French short (4 minutes) silent Christmas film directed by Georges Méliès.
Santa Claus Is a Stinker / Le père Noël est une ordure - France - Two neurotics, working for a suicide hotline on the night of Christmas Eve, get caught up in a catastrophe when a pregnant woman, her abusive boyfriend, and a transvestite visit their office.
How the Toys Saved Christmas / La Freccia Azzurra - Italy - A group of toys take matters into their own hands when their Christmas delivery is in jeopardy.
Mirai no omoide: Last Christmas - Japan - Based on the 'not quite Sci-Fi, not quite a Romance' manga by the Fujiko F. Fujio. Yuko dreams of being a best selling children's author, but as an adult she has made little progress.
Merry Christmas - Ecuador - In this documentary short, Francisco and his sister Damaris live in a small house in the mountain. The kids look to create their own christmas after the death of their uncle, the one that used to be the soul of the party.
Save Christmas - Italy - Grumpy Dad dislikes Christmas while mum and kids strive to save Santa from animated villain's captivity through solving 8 digital riddles.
Christmas in August - South Korea - Hahn Suk-Kyu suffers from a fatal disease. He meets Shim Eun-Ha and falls in love with her. Will their love story have a tragic ending?

🔜 Next Month 🔜

The theme for January will be MOVIES ON A SHOESTRING. Inspired by the fact that nobody has any money to do anything fun in January, this theme will showcase some of the most successful films made on a low budget (relative to genre, year and by usual Hollywood standards). Send me any recommendations via the comments or on Insta!