The Film Christmas, Again Review – This Relaxed Tale of a Lonely Christmas Tree Seller Has Authentic Charm
This is a New York drama with such a relaxed pace that it has taken 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 remains decidedly genuinely independent and unaffected to get slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights flash like police lights. But with its subtle approach, he pitches his film perfectly for a little squeeze of festive warmth.
The Jaded Seller Amid 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, standing outside in the freezing cold and resting in a barely warmer caravan parked next to the trees. Several patrons 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 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 exhausted and disenchanted, though Audley’s understated acting makes it clear that he hadn't always been like this.
Understated Encounters and Glimmers 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 pops up again later in truly poignant scenes as Noel travels through New York, delivering trees – and these sequences could ignite a little flicker of good cheer in the grinchiest of hearts. Poekel has not directed a feature since this, which is a shame – you can’t beat it for naturalness and ease, and it’s shot on beautifully grainy 16mm film.
A film of quiet appeal and authentic mood, portraying the loneliness and brief connection of the season.
Christmas, Again opens in UK cinemas from 12 December.
