🔗 Share this article The Film Christmas, Again Film Review – This Laidback Tale of a Forlorn Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Authentic Charm The is a New York drama so laidback that it has taken a decade to reach the UK’s cinema screens. First released in the US in 2015, it’s an ultra-low-budget debut from debut filmmaker 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 become slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights blink like police lights. But in its own low-key way, he positions the movie perfectly for a little squeeze of festive warmth. The Weary Seller in the Brooklyn Cold Kentucker Audley stars as Noel (someone had in the film to comment on his name before I twigged). Noel is back for his fifth year selling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, standing outside in the freezing cold and resting in a barely 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, broken-hearted and working the night shift. There’s an observational quality to a lot of the scenes, with customers posing pointless random 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 understated acting clearly indicates that he hadn't always been like this. Quiet Moments and Flickers of Connection In truth, the plot is minimal. Noel rescues a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has collapsed drunk on a bench. She pops up again later in truly poignant scenes as Noel drives around New York, making tree deliveries – and these sequences could spark a little flicker of good cheer in the grinchiest of hearts. Poekel has not directed a feature since this, which is regrettable – it is unmatched for authenticity and fluidity, and it’s filmed on beautifully grainy 16mm film. A picture of understated appeal and authentic mood, capturing the solitude and brief warmth of the season. Christmas, Again opens in UK cinemas from 12 December.