The Film Christmas, Again Review – This Laidback Story of a Forlorn Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Genuine Charm
This constitutes a New York drama so laidback 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 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 perfectly for a little squeeze of festive warmth.
A Jaded Seller Amid the Brooklyn Cold
Kentucker Audley portrays Noel (it took someone in the film to comment on his name before I twigged). Noel is back for his fifth year peddling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, standing outside in the freezing cold and sleeping in a not-much-warmer caravan stationed beside the trees. A few customers inquire after the girl assisting him last year. But this year Noel works solo, heartbroken and working the night shift.
There’s an observational quality to many of the scenes, with customers posing pointless random questions. One woman requests 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 makes it clear that he wasn’t always like this.
Quiet Moments and Flickers of Hope
Frankly, not much happens. Noel rescues a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has passed out drunk on a bench. She reappears later in some genuinely moving scenes as Noel travels through New York, delivering trees – and these sequences could spark 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.
The film of understated charm and real atmosphere, portraying the loneliness and fleeting warmth of the season.
Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.
