🔗 Share this article Christmas, Again Review – This Laidback Tale of a Lonely Christmas Tree Seller Has Genuine Charm This constitutes 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, taking place largely 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 pitches his film perfectly for a modest dose of festive warmth. A Weary Seller in the Brooklyn Cold Kentucker Audley portrays Noel (someone had 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 sleeping in a not-much-warmer caravan stationed beside the trees. A few customers ask about the girl assisting him last year. But this year Noel is alone, heartbroken and working the night shift. There’s an observational quality to a lot of the scenes, with customers posing idle and peculiar questions. A customer requests 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. Understated Moments and Flickers of Hope Frankly, the plot is minimal. Noel rescues a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has passed out drunk on a bench. She pops up again later in some genuinely moving scenes as Noel travels through New York, making tree deliveries – and these moments could spark a little flicker of good cheer in the grinchiest of hearts. Poekel hasn’t made a feature since this, which is regrettable – it is unmatched for authenticity and fluidity, and it’s shot on gorgeously textured 16mm film. The film of quiet charm and authentic mood, portraying the loneliness and brief warmth of the holidays. Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.