Christmas, Again Review – This Laidback Story of a Lonely Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Authentic Charm
This constitutes a New York drama so laidback that it has taken a decade to arrive on the UK’s cinema screens. First released 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 is far too genuinely independent and naturalistic to become slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights flash like police lights. But in its own low-key way, he positions the movie perfectly for a modest dose of festive warmth.
The Jaded 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 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. A few customers inquire after 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 a lot of the scenes, with customers asking idle and peculiar questions. One woman requests the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (this is 2014). Noel looks frozen to the bone physically and emotionally; he’s exhausted and disenchanted, though Audley’s subtle performance clearly indicates that he wasn’t always like this.
Quiet Moments and Glimmers of Connection
In truth, the plot is minimal. Noel comes to the aid of a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has passed out drunk on a bench. She reappears later in truly poignant scenes as Noel travels through New York, making tree deliveries – and these sequences could spark a small glimmer 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 naturalness and ease, and it’s filmed on gorgeously textured 16mm film.
The picture of understated appeal and real mood, portraying the loneliness and brief connection of the holidays.
Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.
