Christmas, Again Film Review – This Laidback Tale of a Lonely Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Authentic Charm
The is a New York drama so laidback that it has taken 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 become slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights flash like police lights. But with its subtle approach, he positions the movie just right for a modest dose of festive warmth.
The Weary Seller Amid the Brooklyn Cold
Kentucker Audley portrays Noel (someone had in the film to joke about his name for the connection to be made). Noel is back for his fifth year selling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, working outdoors in the freezing cold and resting in a barely warmer caravan stationed beside the trees. Several patrons inquire after the girl working with him last year. But this year Noel is alone, broken-hearted and on the night shift.
There’s an observational quality to many of the scenes, with customers posing idle and peculiar questions. One woman requests the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (the story is set in 2014). Noel looks frozen to the bone physically and emotionally; he’s weary and disillusioned, though Audley’s subtle performance makes it clear that he wasn’t always like this.
Quiet Encounters and Flickers of Connection
In truth, not much happens. Noel comes to the aid of a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has collapsed drunk on a bench. She pops up again later in some genuinely moving scenes as Noel travels through New York, making tree deliveries – and these sequences could spark 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 authenticity and fluidity, and it’s filmed on beautifully grainy 16mm film.
The picture of quiet charm and authentic mood, capturing the solitude and brief warmth of the season.
Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.
