A bittersweet Aussie Christmas movie in which a trio of recovering addicts navigate a not-so-merry season, Chirstmess displays director Heath Davis’ masterful ability to meld grounded drama with witty comedy.
Look behind the gross commercialisation of the modern Christmas season and you will find an origin much humbler and more grounded: 2000 years ago, a heavily pregnant woman named Mary and her husband Joseph desperately try to find shelter in the city of Bethlehem, only to be denied by its citizens. In the end Mary gives birth to the Christ Child, Jesus, in a stable. It is a fitting birthplace for this Son of God, who throughout his life preached to the downtrodden and the destitute. People just like those in Christmess.
The latest film from director and writer Heath Davis (Book Week) stars Steve Le Marquand as Chris Flint, a once popular actor whose career and personal life has turned to rubble due to his alcoholism. Fresh out of rehab, Chris moves into a halfway house with his firm but fair sponsor Nick (Darren Gilshenan) and vegan musician Joy (Hannah Joy). When Chris accidentally bumps into his estranged daughter Noel (Nicole Pastor) he relies on his newfound friends to win her forgiveness.
With Christmess, Davis successfully taps into the plight of those for which the merry season is anything but. The characters of Christmess struggle with hurt, regret, and shame, yet Davis always allows that slither of light, of hope, of redemption to be present throughout. Davis does so through thoughtful and witty writing, in which strong character development blends with dry Aussie humour, a combination of pulling at the heartstrings and tickling ribs.
The three main players of Christmess all deliver fine performances, with Le Marquand a symphony of hound dog faced remorse and self-pity, and Gilshenan delivering a heartbreaking dramatic turn as a recovery sponsor battling his own demons.
It is Hannah Joy, though, who shines brightest in Christmess. The lead singer and guitarist of indie-rock band Middle Kids delivers an outstanding debut performance as a straight-talking musician whose biting quips are just as potent as her musical performances, a mix of original and Christmas classics that includes a goosebump inducing rendition of “O Holy Night.”
A fine companion piece to Davis’ previous films Broke and Book Week, and one of the best Australian films of 2023, Christmess is a Christmas movie of heart, soul, and Aussie grit.
