🔗 Share this article The Film Christmas, Again Film Review – This Relaxed Tale of a Forlorn Christmas Tree Seller Boasts Genuine Charm This is a New York drama so laidback that it required 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 remains decidedly genuinely independent and naturalistic to get 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 little squeeze of festive warmth. The Weary Seller Amid the Brooklyn Cold Kentucker Audley portrays Noel (someone had in the film to comment on 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 resting in a not-much-warmer caravan parked next to the trees. A few customers ask about the girl assisting him last year. But this year Noel works solo, broken-hearted and working the night shift. There’s a documentary feel to a lot 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 weary and disillusioned, though Audley’s subtle performance makes it clear that he hadn't always been like this. Quiet Moments and Glimmers of Connection Frankly, the plot is minimal. Noel comes to the aid of a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has passed out 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 in the grinchiest of hearts. 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 picture of understated charm and real atmosphere, capturing the loneliness and brief warmth of the holidays. Christmas, Again opens in UK cinemas from 12 December.