The Film Christmas, Again Film Review – A Relaxed Story of a Forlorn Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Genuine Charm
The constitutes a New York drama so laidback that it required a decade to arrive on the UK’s cinema screens. Initially unveiled 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 remains decidedly genuinely independent and unaffected to get slushy or sentimental about Christmas; in his view Christmas tree lights blink like police lights. But with its subtle approach, he pitches his film just right for a little squeeze of festive warmth.
A Weary Seller Amid the Brooklyn Cold
Kentucker Audley portrays Noel (it took someone in the film to joke about 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 sleeping 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 is alone, heartbroken and on the night shift.
There’s a documentary feel to many of the scenes, with customers asking pointless random questions. One woman requests the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (the story is set in 2014). Noel looks numb with cold in body and spirit; he’s exhausted and disenchanted, though Audley’s understated acting makes it clear that he hadn't always been like this.
Understated Moments and Flickers of Connection
In truth, 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 ignite a little flicker of good cheer even in the most cynical viewer. Poekel hasn’t made a feature since this, which is a shame – you can’t beat it for naturalness and ease, and it’s shot on gorgeously textured 16mm film.
The picture of understated charm and authentic atmosphere, portraying the solitude and brief warmth of the season.
Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.
