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The constitutes a New York drama with such a relaxed pace that it required a decade to reach the UK’s cinema screens. First released in the US in 2015, it’s a micro-budget first feature from debut filmmaker Charles Poekel, set almost entirely on a 24-hour pop-up Christmas tree stall. Poekel’s style remains decidedly authentic-indie and unaffected to become slushy or sentimental about Christmas; in his view Christmas tree lights flash like police lights. But in its own low-key way, he positions the movie perfectly for a modest dose of festive warmth.

A 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, working outdoors in the freezing cold and resting in a barely warmer caravan stationed beside the trees. Several patrons ask about the girl working with him last year. But this year Noel works solo, heartbroken and on the night shift.

There’s an observational quality to a lot of the scenes, with customers posing pointless random questions. A customer requests the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (the story is set in 2014). Noel looks numb with cold physically and emotionally; he’s exhausted and disenchanted, though Audley’s understated acting clearly indicates that he wasn’t always like this.

Quiet Encounters and Flickers 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 truly poignant 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 – it is unmatched for authenticity and fluidity, and it’s shot on beautifully grainy 16mm film.

The film of understated charm and authentic mood, capturing the solitude and fleeting connection of the season.

Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.