Christmas Eve In Miller’s Point is funny, chaotic and unpleasing in unusual ways. Among the slew of festive films coming out this season, this one will definitely be with its warm and nostalgic screenplay. Led by a massive cast, the film erratically shifts focus between the different generations, their problems and what brings them together for a festive night. The film follows an Italian American family gathered for their traditional seasonal celebration in Long Island.
The film beings with nostalgic atmosphere setting the tone for the retro style film. It doesn’t spend time setting the scene or the family but dives into their lives and problems. The Balsano family tradition bring several generations from the family together. While the oldest are dealing with the hardships of letting go, the younger parents are only getting to know themselves, meanwhile the kids are lost in their own world trying to take on the town.
But like the film, the plot is established only throught the run time without a concrete direction. A disjointed narrative runs the characters through as some reveal candid little details about their lives through stolen moments with their relatives. Lost dreams and heartfelt longings come up only among the closest. Without the screenplay addressing any of them the audience is forced to join the dots.
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The film really run through the entire town, with the Balsano family in their home, two cops down the street and a group of teenagers who set out to claim the world in one night, through stolen moments of love, cheap beer and a protest against the capitalistic messaging of the holiday. The films somewhat does the same by shedding the usual dramedy genre of festive releases. The screenplay takes care about the dynamics between the lost list of characters and brilliants sets the tone between many of them without having to utter a single word, not about the characters or even between them.
The film is far for an ideal festive story that usually would remind us of a good time. Instead this one remind us of the passing time, or asking us to close down, reminisce because before we know it this too will be gone. The moments are only fleating but they pass the message on in the silent shots, when the mother watches her daughter giggling with her cousin, her son siding with his sister helping her, when the group of kids choose to spend time in quite watching another one of them stake on an icy pond. It’s all there, but not everyone will see beauty in it.
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Overall, Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point is artistic, a tone that may not go easily for many but it brings a sense of comfort long after the film is over. Defiantly a complex film that isn’t sure about where its going and that’s to say something about the timing of the film and the meaning behind it.
Cover artwork by Patrick Gawande/Mashable India
