Christmas, Again Review – A Laidback Tale of a Forlorn Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Genuine Charm
This is a New York drama with such a relaxed pace that it required 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 authentic-indie and unaffected to become slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights blink like police lights. But with its subtle approach, he positions the movie perfectly for a little squeeze of festive warmth.
The Weary Seller in the Brooklyn Cold
Kentucker Audley portrays Noel (someone had in the film to comment on his name before I twigged). Noel is back for his fifth year selling 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 inquire after the girl working with him last year. But this year Noel works solo, heartbroken and on the night shift.
There’s a documentary feel to a lot of the scenes, with customers asking pointless random questions. One woman 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 understated acting makes it clear that he hadn't always been like this.
Understated Moments and Flickers of Connection
In truth, not much happens. Noel rescues a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has passed out drunk on a bench. She pops up again later in some genuinely moving scenes as Noel travels through New York, making tree deliveries – and these sequences could spark a small glimmer 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 gorgeously textured 16mm film.
A film of understated charm and authentic atmosphere, capturing the solitude and brief connection of the holidays.
Christmas, Again opens in UK cinemas from 12 December.
