All Is Bright (AKA Almost Christmas)

Dir: Phil Morrison

2013

****

Christmas films tend to be a bit samey. Either an already established character saves or helps Santa in some way or Santa decides to go on a killing spree. Then you've got your dramas that take place during Christmas which usually see people either fall in love, forgive others after a long term feud or redeem themselves somehow after being a bit mean during the previous year/all of their lives. And then sometimes, not very often, but sometimes a great little melancholy film about Christmas hardship comes along and it comes as a welcome relief. It's not always great to be reminded of how anti-climactic Christmas generally is after the age of 14 but it also quite nice for there to be some balance and for the season to be represented as it really is for many people.  Let’s face it, Christmas is one big opportunity, generally for people to make money whether it's big retail businesses or Churches and charities. In All is Bright, Paul Giamatti plays Dennis, a thief out on parole, looking to make amends with his ex and the daughter he shares with her. After discovering that his ex doesn't want to know and his daughter believes he is dead, Dennis looks for a way to make money and make it up to them somehow. After watching his daughter through a window, he sees that she dreams of learning the piano but her mother cannot afford one. Learning that his ex-partner in crime is now seeing his ex, he forces him to take him on as partner in a Christmas tree selling venture he has in New York City. Paul Rudd plays the ex-safe cracker gone straight and the two of them venture into the back streets of Brooklyn and look at making a few bucks from the trees they sourced locally. Business is tough and the two men find each other's company even tougher. It isn't until Sally Hawkin's Olga, a Russian house-sitter working in the area shows Dennis some kindness and give a little financial advice does their luck pick up. The performances are tender and real. Giamatti and Rudd are both perfect in roles of this type and both give the film a real sparkle, against the bitter and bleak outlook of their characters’ lives and situation. It is a credit to Melissa James Gibson's script and Phil Morrison's direction that such a sad and tough-going film can be so uplifting by the time the end credits role. It's probably most people's idea of hellish seasonal viewing but I thought it was quite wonderful. It's Christmas' first really great independent film and my hope is that it will lead the way somewhat, as I believe this is how it is done. A great little alternative for the festive period.