The Film Christmas, Again Review – A Relaxed Story of a Lonely Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Authentic Charm
The is a New York drama with such a relaxed pace that it required a decade to reach 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 unaffected to get slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights blink like police lights. But in its own low-key way, 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 comment on 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 parked next to the trees. A few customers inquire after the girl assisting him last year. But this year Noel works solo, broken-hearted and working the night shift.
There’s a documentary feel to a lot of the scenes, with customers asking pointless random questions. A customer requests the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (the story is set in 2014). Noel looks numb with cold physically and emotionally; he’s weary and disillusioned, though Audley’s understated acting clearly indicates that he hadn't always been like this.
Quiet Moments and Flickers of Hope
Frankly, 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 drives around New York, delivering trees – 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 authenticity and fluidity, and it’s filmed on gorgeously textured 16mm film.
The film of quiet appeal and authentic mood, capturing the solitude and fleeting connection of the season.
Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.
