Peter Charney’s review published on Letterboxd:
Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point presents an intriguing mix of styles and tones that straddles the line between indie naturalism and a more heightened, editorialized vision of a small-town Christmas Eve. At its best, the film creates a meditative atmosphere that feels like piecing together a long-forgotten memory—one that ebbs and flows with the rhythms of conversation, silence, and understated visual poetry. The production design deserves particular praise, offering a richly textured sense of real space that feels lived-in and deeply nostalgic.
At times, though, the film struggles to maintain a cohesive tone. Its anti-plot structure—favoring loose, interpersonal moments over a driving narrative—allows for some poignant exchanges, but it also occasionally drops viewers into conflicts without providing much context. There’s an expectation for the audience to simply ride the emotional waves without necessarily understanding the undercurrents, which works better in some moments than others. The comedy, too, feels at odds with the naturalism. While it’s never too broad or outlandish, the film sometimes leans too far into situational humor, undercutting the mumblecore sensibility that its best scenes embody. It’s a shame, because when the film does lean into its dialogue-free, more expressionistic side—particularly in sequences driven by soundtrack and visual storytelling—it almost feels transcendent.
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