Christmas, Again Film Review – This Relaxed Tale of a Forlorn Christmas Tree Seller Has Genuine Charm
This is a New York drama with such a relaxed pace 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 genuinely independent and unaffected to become slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights flash like police lights. But with its subtle approach, he pitches his film just right for a little squeeze of festive warmth.
A Jaded Seller Amid the Brooklyn Cold
Kentucker Audley portrays Noel (it took someone in the film to comment on his name for the connection to be made). Noel returns for his fifth year peddling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, standing outside in the freezing cold and resting in a barely warmer caravan stationed beside the trees. A few customers ask about the girl assisting him last year. But this year Noel works solo, heartbroken and working the night shift.
There’s an observational quality to many of the scenes, with customers asking pointless random questions. One woman wants the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (this is 2014). Noel looks numb with cold in body and spirit; he’s weary and disillusioned, though Audley’s subtle performance makes it clear that he hadn't always been like this.
Quiet Encounters and Flickers of Connection
Frankly, not much happens. Noel comes to the aid of a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has passed out drunk on a bench. She reappears later in some genuinely moving scenes as Noel travels through New York, making tree deliveries – and these sequences could ignite a small glimmer of good cheer even in the most cynical viewer. Poekel hasn’t made a feature since this, which is a shame – it is unmatched for naturalness and ease, and it’s shot on beautifully grainy 16mm film.
A film of understated charm and authentic mood, portraying the loneliness and fleeting connection of the holidays.
Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.
