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This constitutes a New York drama with such a relaxed pace that it has taken a decade to reach the UK’s cinema screens. First released in the US in 2015, it’s an ultra-low-budget debut from debut filmmaker Charles Poekel, set almost entirely on a 24-hour pop-up Christmas tree stall. Poekel’s style remains decidedly genuinely independent and unaffected to get slushy or sentimental about Christmas; in his view Christmas tree lights flash like police lights. But with its subtle approach, he positions the movie perfectly for a modest dose of festive warmth.

A Weary Seller Amid 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, standing outside in the freezing cold and resting 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 works solo, broken-hearted and on the night shift.

There’s a documentary feel to a lot of the scenes, with customers asking pointless random questions. A customer requests the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (this is 2014). Noel looks numb with cold physically and emotionally; he’s exhausted and disenchanted, though Audley’s subtle performance makes it clear that he wasn’t always like this.

Quiet Moments and Flickers of Connection

Frankly, the plot is minimal. Noel rescues a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has collapsed drunk on a bench. She reappears later in truly poignant scenes as Noel travels through New York, making tree deliveries – and these sequences could ignite a small glimmer 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 filmed on gorgeously textured 16mm film.

A picture of quiet charm and real mood, capturing the solitude and fleeting warmth of the season.

Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.