The Film Christmas, Again Film Review – This Laidback Story of a Forlorn Christmas Tree Seller Has Genuine Charm
The is a New York drama with such a relaxed pace that it required 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 debut filmmaker Charles Poekel, set almost entirely on a 24-hour pop-up Christmas tree stall. Poekel’s style remains decidedly genuinely independent and unaffected to become slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights blink like police lights. But with its subtle approach, he positions the movie perfectly for a modest dose of festive warmth.
The Weary Seller in the Brooklyn Cold
Kentucker Audley portrays Noel (someone had in the film to joke about 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 sleeping in a not-much-warmer caravan stationed beside the trees. A few customers ask about the girl assisting him last year. But this year Noel is alone, broken-hearted and on the night shift.
There’s a documentary feel to a lot of the scenes, with customers posing idle and peculiar questions. A customer wants the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (the story is set in 2014). Noel looks frozen to the bone in body and spirit; he’s exhausted and disenchanted, though Audley’s understated acting clearly indicates that he wasn’t always like this.
Understated Moments and Glimmers of Connection
In truth, the plot is minimal. Noel comes to the aid of a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has passed out drunk on a bench. She reappears 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 in the grinchiest of hearts. Poekel has not directed a feature since this, which is regrettable – you can’t beat it for authenticity and fluidity, and it’s filmed on gorgeously textured 16mm film.
A film of quiet appeal and authentic mood, portraying the solitude and fleeting warmth of the holidays.
Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.
