Now available in select theaters, on digital and On Demand, is the holiday film, A New Christmas.
The film stars Prashantt Guptha (The Tashkent Files), Grace Wacuka (“Say Anything”), Preeti Gupta (Unfreedom), Aurora Heimbach (Soul to Keep, Loud Places), Carl Garrisson (1 Angry Black Man), and was directed by Dani Tenenbaum (Landing Up).
Kabir is not looking forward to Christmas this year. His mother passed away a year ago, and Kabir has not been able to get over his devastating loss.
For most of Kabir’s life, it’s been just the two of them. His father died when he was very young.
Christmas was a favorite holiday of Kabir’s mom. Kabir wasn’t into it as much as she was (the reason why is later explained in the movie).
Kabir hasn’t even taken down the decorations from last Christmas. The dusty, fake tree his mom lovingly put up still sits in the living room.
Kabir is married, but him and his wife are estranged. She tries her best to get through to him and help him, but he wants no part of it.
A few days before Christmas, Kabir meets a young lady named Kioni. She is here in the U.S. from Kenya. She is studying filmography at a local university.
Kioni loves Christmas, and wants to see all the sights of New York City, including the tree at Rockefeller Center and the window displays up and down 5th Avenue.
Instead of giving Kioni directions, Kabir offers to take her. This sets off an entire day (and night), exploring all the sights and sounds of New York City, even venturing into Brooklyn. Not only does Kabir get to experience the holiday in the city through her eyes, but the pair also have some deep, heartfelt conversations.
Will Kioni help Kabir have a different outlook on Christmas? Will Christmas forever be Kabir’s least favorite holiday, since it reminds him of his mother who passed away during the Christmas holiday? And what about Kabri’s wife? What will she think of Kabir’s new friend? To find out you need to look for A New Christmas in select theaters, digital or On Demand.
I have to be honest with you. I thought this was going to be a Hallmark Channel-like movie. You know how they go – boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, something happens to challenge their love, then they live happily ever after. This is NOT a Hallmark Channel-like movie. There are some similar qualities, but this movie is much more than that.
There are two “curse” words (if I recall correctly), in this film, which is no big deal. There is no sex or nudity, but there are two people in bed after having sex. I am not sure of the rating, but I would guess this film is a PG-13.
This film has a lovely soundtrack. There are two songs I heard in the film that I really like.
I was pleasantly surprised by the film. In the beginning it seemed to go a bit slow. That pace continued, however, the slow progression of the film was necessary to tell the story.
If you are looking for a high octane, “bang-bang-shoot-’em-up” kind of film, this is not it. This film is more about the spectacular images around New York City during the Christmas season, including the skating rink and Christmas tree in Rockefeller center, as well as other magical holiday displays and decorations. The film is also about what Christmas means to the main characters – Kabir and Kioni – and if their belief and experiences would “rub off” on each other, in a good way or bad way.
I enjoyed the film. In fact, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I was also surprised by the ending of the film. I thought it was going to end in an entirely different way.
I did find the film on Facebook, but I could not find any other social media pages for the film, or a dedicated website.
Below is the film’s trailer for your enjoyment.
Kimberly
*I was provided with a free screener link in order to view the film for this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
Jackie says
This sounds like a nice movie. Thank you for the review.