Must-See Independent Holiday Movies
The DailyYou’re reading The New Yorker’s daily newsletter, a guide to our top stories, featuring exclusive insights from our writers and editors. Sign up to receive it in your in-box.In today’s newsletter, a few holiday classics from the world of independent film. Plus:Helen Rosner’s perfect leftovers sandwichArguing about expiration datesThe birth of modern footballThe ensemble cast of “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point.” | Illustration by María Jesús Contreras Illustration by María Jesús ContrerasRichard BrodyStaff writerAmerican independent filmmaking has yielded an outpouring of cinematic imagination throughout the past several decades, even in the well-worn genre of holiday movies. The wildest Thanksgiving ride I’ve seen onscreen is in Trey Edward Shults’s Kickstarter-funded drama “Krisha,” from 2015, starring his real-life aunt Krisha Fairchild in a hectic and harrowing fictional tale of a woman with substance-abuse problems whose recovery is challenged by the resurgence of old conflicts at the festive gathering. Joe Swanberg, whose improvised dramas are a genre unto themselves, assembles a superbly inventive cast for the 2014 semi-comedy “Happy Christmas,” in which he also plays a filmmaker whose holiday celebration with his wife, a writer (Melanie Lynskey), is jolted out of routine and into turmoil by the arrival of his freewheeling sister (Anna Kendrick). With “Christmas, Again,” also from 2014, Charles Poekel portrays, with a docufictional avidity, the bittersweet romanticism of a lonely Christmas-tree salesman in Brooklyn whose night-shift duties spark poignant connections. One of the most exquisite of all independent films, David Lowery’s “A Ghost Story,” from 2017, starring Rooney Mara as the widow of a musician (Casey Affleck) who returns home posthumously, also includes a piercing spirit’s-eye view of a family’s Christmas celebration. And a bit of patience will also be rewarded: this year’s great independent holiday movie, Tyler Taormina’s “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point,” will be available for streaming starting on December 3rd.More from The New YorkerThe Triumph of the Post-Thanksgiving SandwichThe Case Against TravelThe Red and the WhiteDaily Cartoon“No hats at the table.”Cartoon by Jon AdamsCopy link to cartoonCopy link to cartoonLink copiedShopShopMore Fun & GamesPlay today’s smallish puzzle. A clue: Genre for “Sunset Boulevard.” Four letters.Expiration Dates According to My MomP.S. Before football became associated with Thanksgiving, it faced a crisis that required Presidential intervention. In 1904, as stories of players sustaining ghastly injuries led to calls for the game to be banned, Theodore Roosevelt convened a summit at the White House to explore new rules and regulations for the sport. The resulting changes marked the birth of football as America’s true pastime.
In today’s newsletter, a few holiday classics from the world of independent film. Plus:
Richard Brody
Staff writer
American independent filmmaking has yielded an outpouring of cinematic imagination throughout the past several decades, even in the well-worn genre of holiday movies. The wildest Thanksgiving ride I’ve seen onscreen is in Trey Edward Shults’s Kickstarter-funded drama “Krisha,” from 2015, starring his real-life aunt Krisha Fairchild in a hectic and harrowing fictional tale of a woman with substance-abuse problems whose recovery is challenged by the resurgence of old conflicts at the festive gathering. Joe Swanberg, whose improvised dramas are a genre unto themselves, assembles a superbly inventive cast for the 2014 semi-comedy “Happy Christmas,” in which he also plays a filmmaker whose holiday celebration with his wife, a writer (Melanie Lynskey), is jolted out of routine and into turmoil by the arrival of his freewheeling sister (Anna Kendrick). With “Christmas, Again,” also from 2014, Charles Poekel portrays, with a docufictional avidity, the bittersweet romanticism of a lonely Christmas-tree salesman in Brooklyn whose night-shift duties spark poignant connections. One of the most exquisite of all independent films, David Lowery’s “A Ghost Story,” from 2017, starring Rooney Mara as the widow of a musician (Casey Affleck) who returns home posthumously, also includes a piercing spirit’s-eye view of a family’s Christmas celebration. And a bit of patience will also be rewarded: this year’s great independent holiday movie, Tyler Taormina’s “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point,” will be available for streaming starting on December 3rd.
Daily Cartoon
- Play today’s smallish puzzle. A clue: Genre for “Sunset Boulevard.” Four letters.
- Expiration Dates According to My Mom
P.S. Before football became associated with Thanksgiving, it faced a crisis that required Presidential intervention. In 1904, as stories of players sustaining ghastly injuries led to calls for the game to be banned, Theodore Roosevelt convened a summit at the White House to explore new rules and regulations for the sport. The resulting changes marked the birth of football as America’s true pastime.
