The Film Christmas, Again Review – This Laidback Story of a Forlorn Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Genuine Charm
The constitutes a New York drama so laidback that it has taken a decade to arrive on the UK’s cinema screens. First released in the US in 2015, it’s an ultra-low-budget debut from first-time director Charles Poekel, set almost entirely on a 24-hour pop-up Christmas tree stall. Poekel’s style is far too authentic-indie and unaffected to become slushy or sentimental about Christmas; in his view Christmas tree lights blink like police lights. But with its subtle approach, he positions the movie just right for a little squeeze of festive warmth.
A Jaded 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 is back for his fifth year peddling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, working outdoors in the freezing cold and sleeping in a barely warmer caravan stationed beside the trees. Several patrons ask about the girl working with him last year. But this year Noel works solo, heartbroken and on the night shift.
There’s a documentary feel to many of the scenes, with customers asking pointless random questions. A customer 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 subtle performance makes it clear that he hadn't always been like this.
Understated Encounters and Glimmers of Hope
Frankly, the plot is minimal. Noel comes to the aid of a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has passed out drunk on a bench. She pops up again later in some genuinely moving scenes as Noel drives around New York, making tree deliveries – and these sequences could spark a little flicker of good cheer even in the most cynical viewer. Poekel hasn’t made a feature since this, which is regrettable – you can’t beat it for naturalness and ease, and it’s filmed on gorgeously textured 16mm film.
A picture of quiet charm and real mood, portraying the loneliness and fleeting warmth of the season.
Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.