The Film Christmas, Again Film Review – This Relaxed Tale of a Lonely Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Authentic Charm
This constitutes a New York drama so laidback that it required a decade to arrive on 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 genuinely independent and naturalistic to get slushy or sentimental about Christmas; in his view Christmas tree lights blink like police lights. But in its own low-key way, he pitches his film perfectly for a modest dose of festive warmth.
The Weary Seller in the Brooklyn Cold
Kentucker Audley stars as Noel (someone had in the film to comment on his name for the connection to be made). Noel is back for his fifth year peddling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, standing outside in the freezing cold and sleeping in a barely warmer caravan stationed beside the trees. Several patrons inquire after the girl assisting him last year. But this year Noel works solo, broken-hearted and on the night shift.
There’s an observational quality to a lot of the scenes, with customers posing pointless random questions. One woman wants the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (the story is set in 2014). Noel looks frozen to the bone in body and spirit; he’s exhausted and disenchanted, though Audley’s subtle performance clearly indicates that he wasn’t always like this.
Quiet Moments and Flickers of Hope
Frankly, not much happens. Noel comes to the aid of 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, making tree deliveries – and these sequences could ignite 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 shot on gorgeously textured 16mm film.
The film of understated charm and authentic mood, portraying the loneliness and fleeting connection of the season.
Christmas, Again opens in UK cinemas from 12 December.
