Christmas, Again Review – This Relaxed Tale of a Forlorn Christmas Tree Seller Has Genuine Charm
The constitutes a New York drama with such a relaxed pace 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 first-time director Charles Poekel, taking place largely 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; through his lens Christmas tree lights blink like police lights. But with its subtle approach, he positions the movie just right for a modest dose of festive warmth.
The Weary Seller Amid the Brooklyn Cold
Kentucker Audley portrays Noel (it took someone in the film to comment on his name before I twigged). Noel returns for his fifth year selling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, standing outside in the freezing cold and resting in a barely warmer caravan parked next to 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 a documentary feel to a lot of the scenes, with customers asking idle and peculiar questions. A customer wants the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (the story is set in 2014). Noel looks numb with cold in body and spirit; he’s exhausted and disenchanted, though Audley’s subtle performance clearly indicates that he hadn't always been like this.
Quiet Encounters and Flickers of Connection
Frankly, the plot is minimal. 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 small glimmer of good cheer in the grinchiest of hearts. Poekel has not directed a feature since this, which is a shame – it is unmatched for naturalness and ease, and it’s filmed on beautifully grainy 16mm film.
The picture of quiet charm and real atmosphere, portraying the solitude and brief connection of the season.
Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.
