The Film Christmas, Again Review – A Laidback Tale of a Forlorn Christmas Tree Seller Has Genuine Charm
The constitutes a New York drama with such a relaxed pace 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 first-time director Charles Poekel, set almost entirely on a 24-hour pop-up Christmas tree stall. Poekel’s style is far too genuinely independent and unaffected to become slushy or sentimental about Christmas; in his view Christmas tree lights flash like police lights. But in its own low-key way, he positions the movie just right for a modest dose of festive warmth.
A Weary Seller in the Brooklyn Cold
Kentucker Audley stars as 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, working outdoors in the freezing cold and resting 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 is alone, broken-hearted and on the night shift.
There’s a documentary feel to a lot of the scenes, with customers posing idle and peculiar questions. A customer wants the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (the story is set in 2014). Noel looks frozen to the bone physically and emotionally; he’s weary and disillusioned, though Audley’s understated acting makes it clear that he wasn’t always like this.
Understated Encounters and Flickers of Hope
Frankly, the plot is minimal. Noel comes to the aid of 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 spark a little flicker of good cheer in the grinchiest of hearts. Poekel hasn’t made 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 film of understated appeal and authentic atmosphere, portraying the loneliness and brief warmth of the holidays.
Christmas, Again opens in UK cinemas from 12 December.
