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Christmas, Again
2015 79 min United States of America 16+
★7.3
Drama, Romance
Director: Charles Poekel
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
Noel travels from upstate New York every year to sell Christmas trees in New York City. Returning without the help of his long-time girlfriend, this year Noel finds it impossible to do the one thing he knows so well: sell Christmas trees. As Noel begins to spiral downwards, alienating co-workers and customers in the process, it turns out this same community of people may be the only ones capable of saving Noel from self-destruction.
Starring
Kentucker Audley
Actor
Jason Shelton
Actor
Oona Roche
Actor
Awards
1 win & 6 nominations total
Key opinion
Christmas, Again is a melancholic and intimate indie drama that avoids holiday clichés to capture the quiet, often lonely reality of seasonal retail work. While some critics praise its authentic atmosphere and restrained direction, others find the narrative inertia and character apathy too bleak or uneventful.
| Production | The film succeeds in crafting an authentic, gritty atmosphere that avoids traditional holiday sentimentality and fairytale tropes. | |
| Direction | The 16mm cinematography and minimalist directorial choices create a tactile, grounded sense of reality that resonates with viewers. | |
| Acting | The central performance by Kentucker Audley is widely considered compelling and nuanced, effectively anchoring the protagonist's emotional emptiness. | |
| Pacing | The narrative's reliance on stagnation and routine is polarizing; some find it a poetic exploration of urban loneliness, while others view it as dull and lacking meaningful momentum. | |
| Score | Reactions to the score are divided between those who find the melancholic music and theremin arrangements hauntingly immersive and those who perceive the sound design as forgettable. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay's commitment to low-stakes character study is debated; proponents appreciate the lack of artificial plot twists, whereas detractors feel the character interactions are too hollow or inert. |