Christmas, Again Review – A Relaxed Tale of a Forlorn Christmas Tree Seller Boasts 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. 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 naturalistic to get slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights flash like police lights. But with its subtle approach, he pitches his film perfectly for a modest dose of festive warmth.

A Weary 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 is back for his fifth year peddling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, working outdoors in the freezing cold and sleeping in a barely warmer caravan parked next to the trees. Several patrons inquire after the girl assisting him last year. But this year Noel works solo, heartbroken and on the night shift.

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

Quiet Encounters and Glimmers of Connection

In truth, not much happens. Noel rescues a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has passed out drunk on a bench. She reappears later in truly poignant scenes as Noel travels through New York, delivering trees – and these moments could spark a little flicker of good cheer in the grinchiest of hearts. Poekel has not directed a feature since this, which is regrettable – you can’t beat it for authenticity and fluidity, and it’s shot on gorgeously textured 16mm film.

A picture of understated charm and real mood, portraying the solitude and brief connection of the holidays.

Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.