Christmas, Again Review – This Laidback Tale of a Forlorn Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Genuine Charm
The is 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 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 remains decidedly authentic-indie and naturalistic to get slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights blink like police lights. But in its own low-key way, he pitches his film just right for a little squeeze of festive warmth.
A Weary 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 peddling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, working outdoors in the freezing cold and resting 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 is alone, heartbroken and on the night shift.
There’s an observational quality to many of the scenes, with customers asking idle and peculiar questions. One woman wants 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 makes it clear that he wasn’t always like this.
Understated Encounters and Glimmers of Hope
In truth, the plot is minimal. Noel rescues a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has collapsed drunk on a bench. She pops up again later in truly poignant scenes as Noel travels through New York, delivering trees – and these sequences 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 authenticity and fluidity, and it’s shot on beautifully grainy 16mm film.
A film of understated charm and authentic atmosphere, portraying the loneliness and fleeting warmth of the season.
Christmas, Again opens in UK cinemas from 12 December.
