CHRISTMESS

Australia, 2023, 99 minutes, Colour.

Steve Le Marquand, Darren Gilshenan, Hannah Joy, Aaron Glennane, Nicole Pastor.

Directed by Heath Davis.

The Christmas spirit manifests itself in many different ways. Most Christmas movies are cheerful shows, generally entertaining for the whole family. This film is a bit different as can be seen by the title, and audiences wondering what the mess will be that this Christmas will bring.

In fact, this is a seriously themed film, with some funny moments, and with a lot of heart, looking at drug and alcohol addiction and rehab. Given this theme, it is inevitable that there will be some mess at Christmas.

This is a very Australian film, characters and tone, situations, the work of writer-director, Heath Davis (this reviewer praising his fee previous films, Broke, Locusts, Book week). It was all filmed at Campbelltown, just south of Sydney He has worked before with Steve Le Marquand and has invited him to portray Chris Flint, middle-aged, a television star, even with a Silver Logie, who has been self-indulgent for decades, drugs and alcohol, down and out, alienated his daughter whom he hasn’t seen for 20 years, and we meet him just as he has dried out and has to go to a halfway house.

In fact, most of the action takes place in the halfway house. Initially Chris meets Joy, in rehab, a singer with hopes for publicising her songs (Hannah Joy). Then he meets Nick, a very genial Darren Gilshenan, who works in a shelter but cares for and supports Chris and Joy in their quest for complete rehabilitation, the audience going along with Chris and Nick to a very moving AA meeting. There are enjoyable moments at meals, watching TV, a photograph with Chris and his Santa clothes, and a rehearsal of how Chris might go to Noelle’s house and tried to reconcile.

And, it’s Christmas, with Chris able to get a job at the local mall as a Santa, but he can’t bring enough acting skills to the role and it is all upended when his daughter and her son arrive for a photo opportunity.

There is talk about Christmas, the Gospel basis, the singing of the carols, and the hopes of good cheer amongst everyone. However, the people living in the street of the halfway house resent the newcomers lowering house values and prices and refuse to help Chris with the Christmas turkey which he is trying to prepare when, after some are some negotiations with his daughter, Nick a great help, she decides she will come to Christmas lunch. And, symbolically, her name is Noelle.

Just as we might have thought that this will be absolutely heart-warming, a Christmas gift movie tied with a bow, there is the reality of the temptation to relapse, the pressures of addiction over the years, the blows to self-confidence, the difficulties of relationships…

So, Christmas in a realistic setting, a mixture of joy and sadness, quite a quietly devastating moment of sadness when Nick explains to Chris why he has committed himself to supporting those in rehab.

But, hopeful, if rehabilitation can be once achieved, why not, even with deep struggle and pressure, again?

1. The title? The tone? Christmas spirit?
2. The location, Campbelltown New South Wales, suburban, the streets, homes, centres, shopping malls? The musical score? Christmas songs? Joy’s songs and the lyrics?
3. Chris’s story, initial impression, with the doctor, ending his time in rehab, keeping sober, going to the halfway house, ringing his agent, stranded, arriving late, meeting Joy and her reactions, Nick is the carer? Explanation of his background, TV actor, Silver Logie, drugs, drink, no mention of his wife, not seeing his daughter for 20 years?
4. The halfway house, the neighbours and their hostility, especially refusing to help with the Christmas dinner, the brownies’ dealer and his throwing out the turkey (and the final revenge by putting the dead tree in his bin)? The regime, Nick and his work at the shelter, his abilities with rehab, the rules in the house, no lying?
5. Nick, genial personality, relationship with Joy and Chris, his rules, work at the shelter, issues of the meals, watching TV, Joy singing, Chris and his moods? The issue of the cooking, the barbecue, Chris bringing the gas? The sausages and the vegan sausage?
6. Looking for a job, the notice about the Santa, Nick driving him, the costume, trying it on, the photo with Joy and Nick and its later reappearances? The welcome, the woman photographing the children, his looking bored, smoking, reprimands? Noelle and her arrival with her son, her reaction, his pursuing them, fired?
7. The AA meeting, the members and their stories, moving to listen to?
8. The discussions about Noelle, the rehearsal seen about going to the door, the three going, the bad reaction, Nick going to the door, getting some kind of agreement? Christmas Eve, joy and her singing, seeing her girlfriend and her breaking down, Chris enjoying the evening, talking with Noelle, her thinking about coming to the lunch?
9. The neighbour with the brownie, Chris out of it, the up and not working, the rejection by the neighbours, the ham, the hamburgers, Noelle not coming, waiting, Chris and his exasperation, taking the drugs hidden in the Bible, with his daughter’s photo, drinking the vodka, finding it in the car, blaming Nick with his bruised face?
10. The rules, Chris having to leave, the initial lie about his family and his stating that he did that before arriving, but breaking rules with the drink and the drugs, the truth about Nick and the assault and his taking the vodka from the drunken woman?
11. Nick, the true story of why he was a helper, trunk, the death of the child?
12. Chris packing, leaving, the bond with Joy, helping her with her songs, the farewell to Nick, going into rehab – and some hope for the future?