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The is a New York drama so laidback that it has taken 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 debut filmmaker Charles Poekel, taking place largely on a 24-hour pop-up Christmas tree stall. Poekel’s style is far too genuinely independent and unaffected to get slushy or sentimental about Christmas; through his lens Christmas tree lights flash like police lights. But with its subtle approach, he positions the movie just right for a modest dose of festive warmth.

A Weary Seller Amid the Brooklyn Cold

Kentucker Audley portrays Noel (it took someone in the film to joke about 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 resting in a barely warmer caravan stationed beside the trees. Several patrons inquire after the girl assisting him last year. But this year Noel works solo, broken-hearted and on the night shift.

There’s an observational quality to a lot of the scenes, with customers posing idle and peculiar questions. A customer requests the same Christmas tree as the Obamas (this is 2014). Noel looks frozen to the bone physically and emotionally; he’s weary and disillusioned, though Audley’s subtle performance makes it clear that he hadn't always been like this.

Quiet Moments and Glimmers of Hope

Frankly, not much happens. Noel rescues a woman, Lydia (Hannah Gross), who has passed out drunk on a bench. She reappears later in truly poignant scenes as Noel drives around New York, delivering trees – and these sequences could spark a little flicker of good cheer in the grinchiest of hearts. Poekel has not directed a feature since this, which is regrettable – you can’t beat it for naturalness and ease, and it’s shot on beautifully grainy 16mm film.

The picture of quiet charm and authentic mood, portraying the solitude and brief connection of the season.

Christmas, Again arrives in UK cinemas from 12 December.