Christmas, Again Review – This Relaxed Story of a Forlorn Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Authentic Charm
The constitutes 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 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 is far too authentic-indie and naturalistic to get slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights flash like police lights. But in its own low-key way, he positions the movie perfectly for a little squeeze of festive warmth.
The Jaded Seller Amid the Brooklyn Cold
Kentucker Audley stars as Noel (it took someone 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, standing outside in the freezing cold and sleeping in a barely warmer caravan parked next to the trees. A few customers ask about the girl working with him last year. But this year Noel is alone, heartbroken and on the night shift.
There’s an observational quality to many of the scenes, with customers posing pointless random questions. A customer wants the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (this is 2014). Noel looks frozen to the bone physically and emotionally; he’s weary and disillusioned, though Audley’s subtle performance clearly indicates that he wasn’t always like this.
Understated Encounters and Glimmers of Hope
Frankly, the plot is minimal. Noel rescues a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has collapsed 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 ignite a little flicker 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 gorgeously textured 16mm film.
The picture of understated appeal and real mood, capturing the loneliness and fleeting connection of the holidays.
Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.
