The Film Christmas, Again Film Review – This Laidback Story of a Forlorn Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Genuine Charm
This is 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 a micro-budget first feature from first-time director Charles Poekel, taking place largely on a 24-hour pop-up Christmas tree stall. Poekel’s style is far too genuinely independent and unaffected to get slushy or sentimental about Christmas; in his view Christmas tree lights blink like police lights. But with its subtle approach, he pitches his film perfectly for a little squeeze of festive warmth.
The Jaded 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 returns for his fifth year peddling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, working outdoors in the freezing cold and sleeping in a barely warmer caravan parked next to 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 many of the scenes, with customers posing idle and peculiar questions. A customer requests the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (this is 2014). Noel looks frozen to the bone in body and spirit; he’s weary and disillusioned, though Audley’s subtle performance makes it clear 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 truly poignant scenes as Noel travels through New York, making tree deliveries – and these sequences could ignite a small glimmer of good cheer even in the most cynical viewer. Poekel has not directed a feature since this, which is regrettable – you can’t beat it for naturalness and ease, and it’s filmed on beautifully grainy 16mm film.
A picture of understated appeal and authentic mood, portraying the solitude and brief connection of the season.
Christmas, Again opens in UK cinemas from 12 December.
