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This is a New York drama so laidback that it has taken a decade to reach the UK’s cinema screens. Initially unveiled 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 become slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights flash like police lights. But in its own low-key way, he pitches his film perfectly for a little squeeze of festive warmth.

A Jaded Seller in the Brooklyn Cold

Kentucker Audley stars as Noel (it took someone in the film to comment on his name before I twigged). Noel returns for his fifth year peddling Christmas trees in Brooklyn, working outdoors in the freezing cold and resting in a barely warmer caravan parked next to the trees. A few customers ask about the girl assisting him last year. But this year Noel works solo, heartbroken and working the night shift.

There’s a documentary feel to many of the scenes, with customers posing pointless random questions. One woman requests 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 understated acting makes it clear that he wasn’t always like this.

Quiet Encounters and Flickers of Hope

Frankly, not much happens. Noel rescues a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has collapsed drunk on a bench. She pops up again later in truly poignant scenes as Noel travels through New York, delivering trees – and these moments could spark a small glimmer of good cheer in the grinchiest of hearts. Poekel hasn’t made 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 mood, portraying the loneliness and brief connection of the holidays.

Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.