Joe Swanberg introduced his film Happy Christmas to an audience of twenty-somethings and film buffs as a part of the Melbourne International Film Festival on Sunday night. Sheltered from the rain inside Melbourne’s Capitol Theatre, this pleasant, character-driven story about the happiness of unexpected relationships left the audience feeling appropriately warm upon leaving.
Review by KELLY PIGRAM
Short, sweet and undeniably charming, Happy Christmas is Jude Swanberg’s follow up to Drinking Buddies (2013).
It’s another instalment in Swanberg's signature “mumblecore” style: indie low-budget realism, often following the lives of twenty-something protagonists; loose plots, direct camera work and actors encouraged to improvise. The result of this in Happy Christmas is an ultra-realistic film exploring “adultescence”.
Jenny (Anna Kendrick) moves to Chicago after a breakup to live with her brother Jeff (Joe Swanberg), his wife Kelly (Melanie Lynksey) and their new baby (Swanberg’s scene-stealing two-year-old son, Jude).
The film follows her struggle to maintain relationships with her family and friends (Lena Dunham) as she tries to balance responsibility with having a life. Jenny and Kelly strike up an unexpected and genuine friendship that is undoubtedly what gives the film its strength.
The real chemistry between the actors is where Happy Christmas draws most of its charm. Anna Kendrick manages to make a selfish character relatable and likeable, while Lena Dunham doesn’t stray far from her character on Girls, offering comic relief with clever dialogue that lifts the heaviness of the film.
Melanie Lynksey is charming from beginning to end, bringing a potentially pretentious screenplay back to earth. All four main characters are relaxed, with Swanberg’s emphasis on improvisation creating an easy atmosphere and a heart-warming portrayal of family and friendship.
Accompanied by beautifully recurring music from Scott Almes, the film’s rough cinematography is captivating and transforms a somewhat directionless screenplay into a bittersweet story.
Most indie films tend to place a negative spin on the mundane, everyday nature of their character’s lives. Happy Christmas leaves you with an unexplainable feeling of warmth and comfort watching the characters go about their days. Its simplicity is a pleasure to watch.
Happy Christmas is available on iTunes.