Christmas Story

2007 1h 23m FI

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 142

FantasyFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Hundreds of years ago in Lapland, a little boy named Nikolas loses his family in an accident. The villagers decide to look after the orphaned boy together. Once a year - at Christmas - Nikolas moves to a new home. To show his gratitude, Nikolas decides to make toys for the children of the families as good-bye presents. Over the years, Nikolas's former adoptive families become many, and soon almost every house has presents on its doorstep on Christmas morning. At thirteen, Nikolas is sent to live and work with Iisakki, a grumpy old carpenter, who forbids Nikolas to continue making presents for Christmas. Gradually, however, Nikolas wins Iisakki's trust. Together they begin to look after the Christmas traditional that Nikolas has begun. When the aged Iisakki has to leave Nikolas and move away, the tradition of Christmas presents is once again at risk. Thankfully, Nikolas comes up with a solution that brings children joy every Christmas, even continuing to today.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Hannu-Pekka Björkman
Nikolas
Otto Gustavsson
Nikolas 13-vuotiaana
Jonas Rinne
Nikolas 7-vuotiaana
Kari Väänänen
Iisakki
Minna Haapkylä
Kristiina
Mikko Leppilampi
Hannus
Mikko Kouki
Eemeli
Laura Birn
Aada

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Juha Wuolijoki
Writers: Marko Leino, Marko Leino, Aku Louhimies
Languages: Finnish
Countries: Finland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

83 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 19 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Juha Wuolijoki, shot by Mika Orasmaa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Leri Leskinen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Harri Ylönen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Hannu-Pekka Björkman and Otto Gustavsson and Jonas Rinne carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0772176 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Juha Wuolijoki directs. Mika Orasmaa behind the camera. Leri Leskinen scores. Harri Ylönen cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Finland. Dialogue in Finnish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

183 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 19 years ago.
3Directed by Juha Wuolijoki, shot by Mika Orasmaa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Leri Leskinen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Harri Ylönen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Hannu-Pekka Björkman and Otto Gustavsson and Jonas Rinne carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0772176 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 9 themes, including "holiday", "santa claus", "christmas story", "christmas".