Christmas, Again Review – A Relaxed Tale of a Lonely Christmas Tree Seller Has Genuine Charm
This constitutes 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, taking place largely on a 24-hour pop-up Christmas tree stall. Poekel’s style is far too authentic-indie and unaffected 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 pitches his film perfectly for a modest dose of festive warmth.
A Jaded Seller Amid the Brooklyn Cold
Kentucker Audley stars as Noel (someone had in the film to joke about his name before I twigged). Noel is back for his fifth year selling 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 inquire after 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 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 physically and emotionally; he’s exhausted and disenchanted, though Audley’s understated acting makes it clear that he hadn't always been like this.
Quiet Encounters and Glimmers 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 some genuinely moving scenes as Noel travels through 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 regrettable – you can’t beat it for naturalness and ease, and it’s filmed on gorgeously textured 16mm film.
The film of understated charm and real atmosphere, capturing the loneliness and fleeting warmth of the holidays.
Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.
