The Film Christmas, Again Review – A Laidback Story of a Lonely Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Genuine Charm
The is a New York drama with such a relaxed pace that it has taken a decade to reach the UK’s cinema screens. First released in the US in 2015, it’s a micro-budget first feature from debut filmmaker Charles Poekel, taking place largely on a 24-hour pop-up Christmas tree stall. Poekel’s style is far too genuinely independent and naturalistic to become slushy or sentimental about Christmas; in his view Christmas tree lights blink like police lights. But in its own low-key way, he positions the movie just right for a little squeeze of festive warmth.
The Weary Seller Amid the Brooklyn Cold
Kentucker Audley stars as 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 selling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, standing outside in the freezing cold and resting 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 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 (the story is set in 2014). Noel looks frozen to the bone in body and spirit; he’s weary and disillusioned, though Audley’s subtle performance clearly indicates that he hadn't always been like this.
Quiet Moments and Glimmers of Connection
In truth, the plot is minimal. Noel rescues 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 travels through New York, delivering trees – and these sequences could ignite a small glimmer of good cheer in the grinchiest of hearts. Poekel hasn’t made a feature since this, which is regrettable – it is unmatched for naturalness and ease, and it’s shot on beautifully grainy 16mm film.
A film of quiet appeal and authentic mood, capturing the solitude and fleeting warmth of the holidays.
Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.
