The struggle to create something unique on a canvas of sameness mirrors the writer’s aim with the holiday genre. It is rare to see such innovation in a genre defined by imitation, as it is also rare to see the advances ingeniously woven into the background of the narrative. Throughout A Chrismystery, Wathen also knows how to generate emotion, like the instant sympathy that is created for Levien once we see her post titled “Second Thanksgiving Without Dad,” and it only has two views.
Levien, who was so awesome as Mayday Malone in Roswell Delirium, shows why she is an actress in the indie ranks to watch out for. She shows once again that she can do the heavy lifting on hard emotions while hitting all the targets in an engaging performance. Mayo, who I remember from the Marvel TV show Runaways, is perfect in his function as dependable eye-candy, which is what the boy parts of these movies usually are.
Lilley, who has proved her mettle for years in the soap arena, shows how it is done with a nuanced and genuine performance as Annie. I don’t see a lot of three-dimensional character work in Christmas movies, but Lilley brings more powerful tools with her to work. The candy-striped yardstick I usually measure Christmas movies with is how highly saturated the film is with lights and décor.
“It is rare to see such innovation in a genre defined by imitation.”
This is because a lot of the time, these movies are used as background wallpaper for holiday preparations. While decking holly and baking cookies, you can glance up to see at any time a face full of tinsel on the screen. Because the tropes of the genre are so rigid, you can absorb the experience with little attention paid, as long as you look up at the end to see the kiss everyone waits for. A Chrismystery will deliver lots of goodies to anyone who pays attention and watches it for real. There is a lot of insightful commentary about too much attention paid to the superficial elements of the season, which tend to pave over the primary joy of spending time with your loved ones. This stance is reflected in some of the most judicious uses of Christmas decorations I have seen in these pictures.
Director Toronto uses fewer Christmas light montages than usual and even includes some “bare branch” scenes—industry lingo for shots with no decorations in sight. The result is that when the Christmas décor does appear, it pops much harder than just an endless sea of silver bells. It is this frugality that causes Hume’s outstanding Christmas outfits to pull the spotlight every time she appears.
Toronto applies the fashion concept of paneling to holiday rom-com production design, and the results are brilliant. A Chrismystery may just turn out to be the star on your tree this holiday viewing season. Hunt it down like you would a Cabbage Patch Doll, it’s worth it.
"…may just turn out to be the star on your tree this holiday viewing season."
