Watchlist: Reroute your Holiday Viewing
For FACETS’ December programming, we have a wonderful group of films that will screen in-person in early December. For more information about the screening schedules, check FACETS’ 2021 Programing Press Release. These films are your non-traditional holiday pictures that use the holidays as more of a backdrop to their stories. These directors made fantastic character-driven films that are more complex than your average run-of-the-mill Christmas story. These films go into depth about topics unrelated to the holiday season, but ultimately feel unique when the holidays are used as their framing device. For example, some make statements about the bigger picture by including Christmas as what they frame their characters’ actions around. By using Christmas they take critical approaches, explore the interiority of humanity, or even repurpose holiday traditions.
To get us in the holiday spirit, we have curated a list of additional films that detour from traditional holiday films. As usual, we will go through all the films that are screening at FACETS as well as five additional films to prepare you for the ever approaching holiday season. We hope this list suits you and makes you consider the seasonal film traditions you may or may not have acquired over the years. We hope these films give you a new perspective on the holiday film and show you that when a director repurposes the holiday season, they achieve a new kind of cinematic experience.
So without further ado, take a break from your Christmas classics, and check out a list of films that will make your holiday movie watching much more exciting.
EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
DIRECTED BY STANLEY KUBRICK
Hollywood stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman star in this film based on the novel Rhapsody: A Dream Novel (also known as Dream Story) written in the 1920s by Austrian author Arthur Schnitzler. The film follows Dr. Bill Hartford (played by Tom Cruise) and his wife Alice (played by Nicole Kidman) and his one-night odyssey, following his wife’s admission to having sexual fantasies about a man she met a year prior. Upon discovering an underground sexual group, he believes he’s found his retaliation method. However, after attending one of their meetings he realizes he may be in over his head. Dealing with affairs, the upper-class New York socialites, and arguably poking fun at Christmas capitalism this is not your average holiday film.
Rent Eyes Wide Side at FACETS.
THE ICE HARVEST (2006)
DIRECTED BY HAROLD RAMIS
Also not your average holiday film, is the black comedy Ice Harvest. Centering around Charlie Arglist (played by John Cusack), a mobster’s attorney, Ice Harvest is a series of calamities on Christmas Eve following Charlie’s attempt to steal $2 million from his mobster boss. To make matters more complicated, an ice storm sweeping through the area delays their departure (hence the film’s title). Stuck in town and strapped for ideas, Charlie visits strip club owner Renata (played by Connie Nielsen) and tells her about the money in exchange for some help. Life is never that simple, and a money heist is certainly no simpler. Events continue to unfold that prevent Charlie from running off with his money. Another loosely holiday-esque film, we hope you’ll enjoy this rarely screened black Christmas comedy.
Rent The Ice Harvest at FACETS.
TOKYO GODFATHERS (2003)
DIRECTED BY SATOSHI KON
Directed by the late Satoshi Kon (Millennium Actress, Paprika, Perfect Blue, etc.) Tokyo Godfathers is an underrated holiday classic. Inspired by the 1948 U.S. film 3 Godfathers, this film centers around 3 homeless people who find a baby on Christmas Eve and their journey to reunite the baby with its parents.
Known for his fantastical works that blur the line between fiction and reality so effortlessly, it leaves the audience in a dizzying sort of awe. Fans of Satoshi Kon might find Tokyo Godfathers a bit subdued at first glance. However, where Kon amps up the realism in plot and animation style for this film his zaniness is still present in the assortment of “Christmas miracles” that take place throughout. Taking place in the heart of a dazzling Tokyo lit up with Christmas lights, three homeless people, a gruff middle-aged man named Gin, a transgender woman named Hana, and a teenage runaway named Miyuki, find an abandoned baby in a dumpster on Christmas Eve.
When plans to reunite the baby with their parents run awry, the audience is taken on a wild ride with fantastical coincidences that are somehow almost believable with that classic blurring of fiction and reality Kon is so famous for. With a hint of melodrama, an intense car chase towards the end of the film and a load of comedy throughout, this film has something for everyone, and is the ideal recommendation for families with middle-school aged or older children. With a central theme of “found family” we feel this film is a must-see for any age, and in the words of the late Robert Ebert: Tokyo Godfathers is a film that is “both harrowing and heartwarming,”
Rent Tokyo Godfathers at FACETS.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS (2014)
DIRECTED BY JOE SWANBERG
Directed by Joe Swanberg, this holiday film sees 20-something Jenny find her way home to Chicago for the holidays. Staying with her older brother Jeff (played by Swanberg himself), and his novelist wife Kelly, Jenny and her high school friend Carson’s visit threaten to shake-up Kelly’s quiet life. Less fantastical than Tokyo Godfathers and a bit more low-key, this film focuses on the relationship between Kelly and Jenny, and the metamorphosis they spark in each other over the holidays. A must-see for those a bit weary of the over-the-top holiday films and who are looking for something a bit more grounded. Like other Swanberg films, the dialogue was completely improvised.
Rent Joe Swanberg’s Happy Christmas at FACETS.
TANGERINE (2015)
DIRECTED BY SEAN BAKER
Tangerine is a drama-comedy directed by (at the time) newcomer filmmaker Sean Baker, and in true indie fashion was shot entirely on three iPhone 5S phones. After getting released from a nearly month-long prison sentence, transgender sex worker Sin-Dee is received with a warning from her friend on Christmas Eve: her boyfriend has been cheating on her. What follows is a mad trek across most of Los Angeles to hunt down her boyfriend to give him a piece of her mind. Giving new meaning to “Life imitates art” Tangerine was well praised for its casting of real-life sex workers turned actors, as the two main female leads are played by real-life sex workers the director hand chose from the LBGT Center in L.A.. While we can’t say much without spoiling the plot, we will say that its praise for depicting the realities of sex workers and trans individuals is not only warranted but well-deserved.
Rent Tangerine at FACETS.
CAROL (2016)
DIRECTED BY TODD HAYNES
Set in the 1950s and inspired by the 1950s novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith, Carol is equally praised for its LGBT representation, as the tale centers around two women struggling to form and hide their romantic relationship in 1950s U.S.A.. Rooney Mara plays an aspiring photographer, and Cate Blanchett plays a wealthier older woman going through the trials and tribulations that come with a divorce. Where Tangerine explores the nitty gritty reality of everyday life, Carol whisks one away to the upper-class glamour of upscale Manhattan more than a half-century ago. Having caused controversy when snubbed from the Oscars upon its premiere in 2015, come see the holiday film you likely missed and that was purposely ignored in its heyday.
Rent Carol at FACETS.
DEKALOG III (1988)
DIRECTED BY KRZYSZTOF KIELSLOWSKI
Dekalog III is the third installment in a ten film series directed by Krzysztof Kielslowski. The Dekalog is a series of films that deal with the Ten Catholic Commandments and ostensibly focuses on one commandant per episode. The episodes run about fifty minutes each except 5 and 6, which were extended to be feature length films. Dekalog III takes the third commandment: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” and turns it on its head. Janusz (Daniel Olbrychski), a taxi cab driver, and Ewa (Maria Pakulnis), the woman he had an affair with three years ago, meet on Christmas Eve. Ewa, the mastermind, tricks Janusz into searching for her missing husband through the Warsaw city streets. Janusz tells his wife (Joanna Szczepowska) that his taxi cab was stolen and goes off into the Christmas night with Ewa.
The film includes many symbolic associations to Polish Catholic Christmas traditions. For example, in the opening scene Janusz is dressed as “Święty Mikołaj,” the Polish version of Santa Claus. There is a scene where both Janusz and Ewa see each other during midnight Mass in the city, which is another important facet of Polish Christmas tradition. In another scene we see Janusz and Ewa visited by children singing Christmas Carols (“kolędy” in Polish), which has the pair acting like a married couple. Finally, during an extremely tense scene, the characters split the Christmas wafer (Oplatek/Oplatki), which is an important part in the Polish Wigilia tradition.
An important film that shows the Polish Catholic tradition, Dekalog III looks at both Polish traditions while simultaneously exploring the lives of characters who have done something morally wrong. In this case, Janusz and Ewa had an affair, and they have come back together for Christmas Eve. They are not “keeping the sabbath day holy.” You will have to screen the film to get the full picture, but the film explores the loneliness and isolation one feels during the Holidays when they have no one.
Rent Dekalog III at FACETS.
MERRY CHRISTMAS MR. LAWRENCE (1963)
DIRECTED BY NAGISA OSHIMA
Directed by Nagisa Oshima, produced by Jeremy Thomas, and starring David Bowie, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is perhaps one of our most star-studded features in this line-up. Known as Merry Christmas on the Battlefield in Japanese, this Japanese-British 1983 war film is based on the real life tellings of a British prisoner of war. Taking place in a prisoner of war camp in (at the time) Japanese-controlled Java, this film sees Bowie take center stage in the role of Jack Celliers who captures the attention of Captain Yanoi and Sergeant Hara for his stubbornness and defiance. Captain Yanoi’s attention gradually turns romantic and this hardened war film explores the concept of shame both during war-times and prior. At the same time, we see fellow inmate Lieutenant Colonel John Lawrence, the only prisoner fluent in Japanese, attempt to find a middle-ground between the Japanese and British. Focusing on the inner turmoils of war as opposed to the ones most clearly seen on the battlefields, this holiday detour reminds us that regardless of the holidays, war will still rage on.
Rent Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence at FACETS.
THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955)
DIRECTED BY CHARLES LAUGHTON
The Night of the Hunter is the opposite of what one might think as a holiday film. The premise of the film begins with a father named Ben Harper (Peter Graves) who robs a bank and stashes the money in his daughter Pearl’s (Sally Jane Bruce) doll. Robert Mitchum stars as Reverend Harry Powell, a murderous misogynist who uses his faith to justify his dastardly actions. He is a self-appointed preacher who learns about Harper’s money in prison because he was his cellmate. After Powell’s release and Harper’s execution, we see Powell make his way to the Harper family home where he seduces Ben Harper’s wife Willa (Shelley Winters) into marrying him. All of this is done as a ploy to find Ben Harper’s stashed away money.
The one challenge that Harry Powell does not consider at first, is that the Harper children John (Billy Chapin) and Pearl are not going to give him the money without a fight. What ensues is a chase down the Ohio River until the children come into the safety of Rachel Cooper (Lilian Gish) who teaches them about Moses and shelters them as though they are her own kin. These children have their first real Christmas with Rachel and her daughters, while protecting them from Harry Powell who is seen as satan-like— creeping outside in the darkness. This is not what you think of when you think of a Christmas classic: a serial killer chasing two children across the Ohio River for a cash payout, but it sure is thrilling. The ending will leave you speechless as the truth comes out while safety is restored to the Harper family.
Rent Night of the Hunter at FACETS.
BRAZIL (1985)
DIRECTED BY TERRY GILLIAM
Set in a dystopian world, Terry Gilliam’s film satirizes capitalism and all of the bureaucracy associated with it. Brazil has been called absurdist and seems to have been influenced by George Orwell’s 1984. The film is about a small-time bureaucrat named Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) who tries to find the woman that he sees in his dreams. Gilliam uses old model machines, which are heavily relied upon by the people living in this setting, to further satirize our capitalism and its future. This is not your traditional Christmas film because the film’s central conflict begins as a fly gets jammed in a teleprinter and misprints a copy of an arrest warrant. Archibald Buttle (a cobbler) is arrested and later dies. The real criminal, Archibald Tuttle (Robert De Niro), who is a heating engineer and terrorist, is left to prowl in the setting of Brazil.
We would not consider this a holiday film by traditional means. It takes place during the holiday season and mentions Christmas, but dystopian universes aren’t really what we think of when we think of Christmas. The story is one of excitement and bureaucratic pressure. Many times over Sam Lowry becomes the victim in the many chases and plots of the government. We are connected to his dreams, and even in the end we see his idealistic dreams come into reality. He chases his dream woman Jill (Kim Greist), and imagines himself escaping with her. Overall, Brazil is a film that takes place on Christmas and one that looks at the hyper consumerist society that these characters inhabit. Bureaucracy is seen as a roadblock and an inefficient institution that covers up mistakes by any means necessary.
Rent Brazil at FACETS.
FANNY AND ALEXANDER (1982)
DIRECTED BY INGMAR BERGMAN
Fanny and Alexander is a period drama that focuses on two siblings and their enormous family living in Uppsala, Sweden. The siblings must come to grips with the death of their father (Allen Edwall). After this death, their mother (Ewa Fröling) decides to remarry. She chooses a respected bishop in the community named Edvard Vergérus (Jan Malmsjö) who becomes abusive toward Alexander behind closed doors. The film turns into a rivalry between an ultra-authoritarian parental figure and a creative child. In the end, we see the Ekdahl family reunited and celebrating the new siblings that have joined their flock.
Although not entirely a Christmas story, there is a scene where the Ekdahl family hold a Nativity play. After this play they hold a large Christmas party that shows many of their family and friends attending. This is an extraordinary scene with beautiful costumes and ornate furniture. Fanny and Alexander have an amazing time at this party which is very much contrasted to the lives they hold after their mother Emilie marries Vergérus the bishop. Vergérus is an extremely cold individual and refuses to allow the children to continue their playful lives and a harsh authoritarian figure who punishes Alexander in pivotal moments of the film. The film is not necessarily a Christmas film, but it examines the dynamics between family members. What is presented publicly is not always what is real.
Rent Fanny and Alexander at FACETS.
Christian Mietus is an Editorial Assistant Intern at FACETS. He is a Senior working towards a B.A in EnglishGeneral Writing (Creative and Professional) at Lewis University with minors in Film Studies and Russian Language and Culture. In 2019, his poetry was published in both the WINDOWS fine arts magazine and in the City Brink literary magazine. In May 2019, his collaborative project, “Assimilation through Sound” was chosen for the Stephany Schlachter Award at Lewis University. Christian is a film lover, some of his favorite filmmakers are Andrei Tarkovsky, Andrzej Wajda, and Krzysztof Kieslowski.
Kelly Kayed is the Digital Marketing Intern at FACETS. She received her B.A. in Asian Studies from Bowling Green State University after completing her thesis on employment opportunities for single mothers in Japan. Having lived in a variety of places from bustling Los Angeles to small town Bowling Green, Ohio, and even Japan, her writing is a cumulation of the various environments lived in, perspectives traded and people she’s met along the way.