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

The is a New York drama so laidback 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 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 unaffected to get slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights flash like police lights. But in its own low-key way, he pitches his film perfectly for a little squeeze of festive warmth.

The Jaded Seller Amid the Brooklyn Cold

Kentucker Audley portrays Noel (someone had in the film to joke about his name before I twigged). Noel is back for his fifth year selling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, working outdoors in the freezing cold and sleeping in a not-much-warmer caravan parked next to the trees. Several patrons inquire after the girl assisting him last year. But this year Noel is alone, broken-hearted 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 numb with cold in body and spirit; he’s exhausted and disenchanted, though Audley’s understated acting makes it clear that he hadn't always been like this.

Understated Encounters and Glimmers of Connection

In truth, the plot is minimal. Noel comes to the aid of 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 small glimmer of good cheer in the grinchiest of hearts. Poekel hasn’t made a feature since this, which is a shame – you can’t beat it for authenticity and fluidity, and it’s filmed on beautifully grainy 16mm film.

The film of quiet charm and real atmosphere, portraying the loneliness and brief connection of the holidays.

Christmas, Again opens in UK cinemas from 12 December.