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The is a New York drama with such a relaxed pace that it required a decade to arrive on the UK’s cinema screens. First released in the US in 2015, it’s an ultra-low-budget debut 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 naturalistic to get slushy or sentimental about Christmas; in his view Christmas tree lights blink like police lights. But with its subtle approach, he positions the movie just right for a modest dose of festive warmth.

The Jaded 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 returns for his fifth year peddling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, standing outside in the freezing cold and sleeping in a barely warmer caravan stationed beside the trees. Several patrons ask about the girl assisting him last year. But this year Noel works solo, heartbroken and working the night shift.

There’s an observational quality to many of the scenes, with customers posing pointless random questions. A customer wants the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (this is 2014). Noel looks numb with cold physically and emotionally; he’s weary and disillusioned, though Audley’s subtle performance clearly indicates that he wasn’t always like this.

Understated Moments and Flickers of Connection

Frankly, the plot is minimal. Noel comes to the aid of 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 spark a little flicker of good cheer even in the most cynical viewer. Poekel hasn’t made a feature since this, which is regrettable – you can’t beat it for naturalness and ease, and it’s shot on gorgeously textured 16mm film.

The picture of understated appeal and real atmosphere, capturing the solitude and brief connection of the holidays.

Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.