The malls would like us to believe that it’s never too early to start thinking about the holidays. That’s debatable. We believe (strongly) that it’s never too early to think about holiday diversions. And what’s better than the longstanding tradition of escaping shopping madness or family drama by going to the movies?
With escape and escapism in mind, the Brattle Theatre is offering an Alt-Xmas series, which begins Dec. 16-17 with director Jalmari Helander’s 2010 film, “Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale.’’ Billed as “a darkly comic gem that reimagines one of the most classic of all childhood fantasies,’’ the film is set in northern Finland and is about an archeological dig that has unearthed the real Santa Claus (OK, maybe a classic fantasy in … Finland), and he is hardly a jolly old soul. On the lighter side, the series on Dec. 18 presents “Christmas Vacation’’ (1989) starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, and 25,000 Christmas tree lights. Closing out the eclectic program are “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’’ on Dec. 19 and “City of Lost Children’’ on Dec. 20. Traditionalists need not worry: The Brattle has paired its “Alt-Xmas’’ films with Frank Capra’s familiar holiday classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life’’ (1946), running Dec. 16-20 on the same program with the alternative films. Our advice: Watch closely: Capra’s film just might be the darkest of all. For show times and more information, go to www.brattlefilm.org.
