Christmas, Again Review – This Laidback Tale of a Lonely Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Genuine Charm
The 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 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 is far too genuinely independent and unaffected to become slushy or sentimental about Christmas; in his view Christmas tree lights flash like police lights. But in its own low-key way, he pitches his film perfectly for a little squeeze of festive warmth.
A Jaded Seller Amid the Brooklyn Cold
Kentucker Audley portrays Noel (someone had in the film to comment on his name before I twigged). Noel returns for his fifth year peddling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, working outdoors in the freezing cold and resting in a barely warmer caravan stationed beside the trees. Several patrons ask about the girl working with him last year. But this year Noel is alone, broken-hearted and working the night shift.
There’s an observational quality to many of the scenes, with customers posing idle and peculiar 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 weary and disillusioned, though Audley’s understated acting clearly indicates that he hadn't always been like this.
Quiet Encounters and Glimmers of Connection
Frankly, 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, delivering trees – and these moments could spark a little flicker of good cheer in the grinchiest of hearts. Poekel has not directed a feature since this, which is regrettable – you can’t beat it for naturalness and ease, and it’s shot on beautifully grainy 16mm film.
The picture of quiet appeal and real mood, portraying the solitude and brief warmth of the holidays.
Christmas, Again opens in UK cinemas from 12 December.