Christmas, Again Review – This Laidback Tale of a Lonely Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Authentic Charm
The is 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, taking place largely on a 24-hour pop-up Christmas tree stall. Poekel’s style remains decidedly genuinely independent and naturalistic 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 perfectly for a little squeeze of festive warmth.
The Weary Seller Amid the Brooklyn Cold
Kentucker Audley portrays Noel (someone had in the film to comment on his name before I twigged). Noel returns for his fifth year peddling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, standing outside in the freezing cold and resting in a not-much-warmer caravan parked next to the trees. A few customers ask about the girl working with him last year. But this year Noel works solo, broken-hearted and on the night shift.
There’s an observational quality to many of the scenes, with customers asking pointless random questions. A customer wants the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (the story is set in 2014). Noel looks numb with cold physically and emotionally; he’s exhausted and disenchanted, though Audley’s understated acting clearly indicates that he wasn’t always 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 moments could spark a small glimmer of good cheer in the grinchiest of hearts. Poekel has not directed a feature since this, which is regrettable – it is unmatched for authenticity and fluidity, and it’s filmed on beautifully grainy 16mm film.
A picture of quiet charm and real atmosphere, portraying the solitude and fleeting connection of the season.
Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.
