🔗 Share this article The Film Christmas, Again Film Review – A Relaxed Tale of a Forlorn Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Authentic Charm The 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 unaffected to become slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights flash like police lights. But in its own low-key way, he positions the movie just right for a little squeeze of festive warmth. A Weary Seller in 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, working outdoors in the freezing cold and resting in a not-much-warmer caravan stationed beside 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 many of the scenes, with customers asking idle and peculiar questions. A customer requests the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (this is 2014). Noel looks frozen to the bone in body and spirit; he’s exhausted and disenchanted, though Audley’s subtle performance clearly indicates that he hadn't always been like this. Understated 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 reappears later in some genuinely moving scenes as Noel travels through 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 naturalness and ease, and it’s shot on gorgeously textured 16mm film. A picture of understated charm and real mood, portraying the solitude and brief warmth of the season. Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.