The Film Christmas, Again Review – A Laidback Tale of a Lonely Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Genuine Charm
This constitutes a New York drama with such a relaxed pace that it required 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, 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 with its subtle approach, he positions the movie perfectly for a little squeeze of festive warmth.
The Jaded Seller in the Brooklyn Cold
Kentucker Audley portrays Noel (it took someone in the film to joke about his name before I twigged). Noel returns 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. Several patrons ask about the girl assisting him last year. But this year Noel works solo, heartbroken and on the night shift.
There’s an observational quality to a lot of the scenes, with customers posing idle and peculiar questions. One woman wants the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (this is 2014). Noel looks frozen to the bone in body and spirit; he’s exhausted and disenchanted, though Audley’s subtle performance makes it clear that he wasn’t always like this.
Understated 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 reappears later in truly poignant scenes as Noel drives around New York, delivering trees – and these sequences could spark a little flicker of good cheer even in the most cynical viewer. Poekel hasn’t made a feature since this, which is regrettable – you can’t beat it for authenticity and fluidity, and it’s filmed on beautifully grainy 16mm film.
The picture of quiet charm and authentic mood, portraying the solitude and fleeting warmth of the season.
Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.
