Christmas, Again Review – A Relaxed Tale of a Lonely Christmas Tree Seller Has Authentic Charm
This is 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 is far too authentic-indie and naturalistic to get slushy or sentimental about Christmas; in his view Christmas tree lights flash like police lights. But with its subtle approach, he positions the movie just right for a modest dose of festive warmth.
A Jaded Seller Amid the Brooklyn Cold
Kentucker Audley stars as Noel (it took someone in the film to joke about his name for the connection to be made). Noel returns for his fifth year selling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, working outdoors in the freezing cold and sleeping in a barely warmer caravan parked next to the trees. A few customers ask about the girl working with him last year. But this year Noel works solo, broken-hearted and on the night shift.
There’s a documentary feel to a lot of the scenes, with customers asking pointless random questions. A customer requests the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (the story is set in 2014). Noel looks frozen to the bone physically and emotionally; he’s weary and disillusioned, though Audley’s subtle performance clearly indicates that he wasn’t always like this.
Quiet Encounters and Glimmers of Hope
Frankly, not much happens. Noel comes to the aid of a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has collapsed drunk on a bench. She pops up again 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 in the grinchiest of hearts. Poekel has not directed a feature since this, which is regrettable – it is unmatched for authenticity and fluidity, and it’s filmed on gorgeously textured 16mm film.
The picture of quiet appeal and authentic atmosphere, capturing the loneliness and brief warmth of the holidays.
Christmas, Again opens in UK cinemas from 12 December.
