Between The Lights

This movie compares to regular Christmas love stories like Interstellar compares to Unidentified Flying Oddball, with one rising way higher above the other. Even more impressive is how accessible all the goodies of the innovations are to even the most passive viewer. Even though Groom uses a very complex story structure, the movie is far from a puzzle picture. Instead of requiring clues to be interpreted, Groom lays out a track that the viewer is effortlessly swept along with, like an Epcot dark ride.

The three Christmases are shuffled around in a nonlinear manner, but as De Clercq’s haircuts are distinctive during each one, it gets very easy to figure out which Christmas we are in. While we have been doing the nonlinear scene shuffle since it caught on in the 90s, this is one of the few times I have seen an actual justification for it in the narrative itself. There is a particular peak at the halfway point where I have never been prouder of a Christmas romance picture, a genre that is usually held in the same regard as processed gas station snacks.

“…like Interstellar compares to Unidentified Flying Oddball…”

Between The Lights gets into the famed Christmas movie debate early by having Edward-Cook and De Clercq having the debate themselves on camera. The impassioned defense of Die Hard as a Christmas movie can be seen as a meta-declaration of this movie’s holiday credentials, though that is hardly necessary when you have triple-decker Yuletide in one film. There is also talk about It’s A Wonderful Life, which I believe is a much stronger candidate for not being a real Christmas movie.

I could have done with a little more intensity of Christmas decorations, as that is also a staple of this genre. The goal is to get at least a little Christmas in every shot, either dominating the frame or appearing somewhere onscreen to keep the Kringle chain unbroken. It seems a shame to nitpick over the details, but counting candy cane stripes is all part and parcel with making a Christmas picture. It is also completely irrelevant to how freaking brilliant the whole thing is. Between The Lights is one of the cleverest and most authentic holiday romances ever made, showing that brain and the heart can sometimes share the same floor. It is a must-watch during December, but it is awesome enough to see any other time you can.