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

The is a New York drama so laidback that it has taken a decade to reach 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, set almost entirely 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.

A Weary Seller Amid the Brooklyn Cold

Kentucker Audley stars as Noel (it took someone in the film to joke about his name for the connection to be made). Noel returns for his fifth year selling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, standing outside in the freezing cold and sleeping in a not-much-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 working the night shift.

There’s a documentary feel to many of the scenes, with customers asking idle and peculiar 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 exhausted and disenchanted, though Audley’s subtle performance clearly indicates that he wasn’t always like this.

Quiet Encounters and Flickers of Connection

Frankly, the plot is minimal. Noel rescues a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has passed out drunk on a bench. She reappears later in some genuinely moving scenes as Noel drives around New York, delivering trees – and these sequences could ignite a little flicker of good cheer even in the most cynical viewer. Poekel has not directed a feature since this, which is a shame – you can’t beat it for authenticity and fluidity, and it’s shot on beautifully grainy 16mm film.

A film of understated appeal and real mood, capturing the loneliness and fleeting warmth of the season.

Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.