The Film Christmas, Again Review – This Laidback Story of a Forlorn Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Genuine Charm
This constitutes a New York drama so laidback that it required a decade to arrive on the UK’s cinema screens. Initially unveiled in the US in 2015, it’s a micro-budget first feature from debut filmmaker Charles Poekel, set almost entirely on a 24-hour pop-up Christmas tree stall. Poekel’s style is far too authentic-indie and naturalistic to get slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights blink like police lights. But with its subtle approach, he pitches his film just right for a modest dose of festive warmth.
A Weary Seller Amid the Brooklyn Cold
Kentucker Audley portrays Noel (it took someone in the film to comment on his name for the connection to be made). Noel returns for his fifth year selling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, working outdoors in the freezing cold and resting in a barely warmer caravan parked next to the trees. Several patrons ask about the girl assisting him last year. But this year Noel is alone, broken-hearted and working the night shift.
There’s an observational quality to a lot of the scenes, with customers posing pointless random questions. One woman wants the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (this is 2014). Noel looks numb with cold physically and emotionally; he’s exhausted and disenchanted, though Audley’s understated acting makes it clear that he hadn't always been like this.
Quiet Encounters and Glimmers of Connection
Frankly, the plot is minimal. Noel comes to the aid of a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has collapsed drunk on a bench. She reappears later in truly poignant scenes as Noel drives around New York, delivering trees – and these moments could ignite a little flicker of good cheer in the grinchiest of hearts. Poekel has not directed a feature since this, which is a shame – you can’t beat it for naturalness and ease, and it’s filmed on gorgeously textured 16mm film.
The film of quiet charm and authentic atmosphere, capturing the loneliness and brief connection of the season.
Christmas, Again opens in UK cinemas from 12 December.
