The Film Christmas, Again Review – This Relaxed Tale of a Forlorn Christmas Tree Seller Has Authentic Charm

This constitutes a New York drama with such a relaxed pace that it has taken a decade to reach the UK’s cinema screens. First released in the US in 2015, it’s a micro-budget first feature from first-time director Charles Poekel, set almost entirely on a 24-hour pop-up Christmas tree stall. Poekel’s style remains decidedly genuinely independent and naturalistic to get slushy or sentimental about Christmas; in his view Christmas tree lights blink like police lights. But with its subtle approach, he positions the movie perfectly for a modest dose of festive warmth.

The Weary Seller Amid the Brooklyn Cold

Kentucker Audley stars as Noel (it took someone in the film to joke about 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 stationed beside the trees. Several patrons inquire after the girl assisting him last year. But this year Noel works solo, heartbroken and working the night shift.

There’s an observational quality to a lot of the scenes, with customers posing 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 makes it clear that he wasn’t always like this.

Understated Moments and Glimmers of Connection

Frankly, not much happens. Noel rescues a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has collapsed drunk on a bench. She reappears later in some genuinely moving scenes as Noel drives around New York, delivering trees – and these sequences could spark a little flicker of good cheer even in the most cynical viewer. Poekel has not directed a feature since this, which is regrettable – it is unmatched for naturalness and ease, and it’s shot on beautifully grainy 16mm film.

The picture of quiet charm and real mood, capturing the solitude and fleeting connection of the season.

Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.