Noel
5.8
Christmas Eve in New York City is a time filled with festive cheer, yet for some, it is a night of loneliness and despair. Rose Collins, a divorced publisher, feels the weight of her own solitude more than ever. Her mother, suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, is hospitalized and her health is rapidly declining. Rose desperately wishes for a miracle to restore her mother’s well-being, but with each passing hour, her hope seems to slip away. Little does she know that this Christmas Eve will bring unexpected encounters and a chance to witness the power of human connection.
While spending time at the hospital, Rose feels sympathy for another patient, a man in a similar state of abandonment. His visitor, an unfamiliar face, catches her attention, sparking a moment of curiosity and empathy. As Rose strikes up a conversation with him, she learns that he, too, is struggling with his own burdens and heartache. The connection between the two becomes a small but important light in their otherwise dark night.
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Nina Vasquez is going through an emotional upheaval of her own. She has just ended her engagement with Mike, her fiancé, because of his overbearing jealousy, which has started to suffocate their relationship. Though Nina feels relieved to be free from the tension, she can't help but miss the good times they shared. She is torn, unsure if her decision was the right one or if she is simply overwhelmed by the weight of the holiday season.
Mike, still reeling from the breakup, struggles with the loss of Nina. But his pain takes an unexpected turn when he begins to be followed by a mysterious stranger, Artie Venzuela, a bartender with an unsettling presence. Mike’s paranoia grows as Artie’s shadow looms over him, adding to the confusion and heartache he already feels. Little does he know, Artie’s actions will have a strange, interconnected role in his life that he never saw coming.
Elsewhere, Jules, a man with a painful past, decides to spend Christmas Eve in the same hospital where he had once found solace many years ago. As a teenager, Jules had spent the most meaningful Christmas of his life at this hospital, and he returns in hopes of recapturing that warmth. His journey is not only one of reflection but of healing, as he reconnects with parts of himself that he had long buried.
As the night progresses, the paths of these seemingly unrelated individuals begin to cross. Rose, Nina, Mike, Artie, and Jules all find their lives intertwined in ways they never could have predicted. In the hustle and bustle of New York on Christmas Eve, they experience the true meaning of the season—not through extravagant gifts or festive displays, but through the quiet moments of connection, understanding, and empathy that emerge in the unlikeliest of circumstances.
For Rose, it is a chance encounter with another hospital visitor. For Nina, it’s a moment of clarity that helps her see the bigger picture of her life. For Mike, the realization that jealousy doesn’t define love, and for Jules, a rediscovery of the hope he had long lost. And in the end, it is the magic of Christmas that brings them all together, offering them the miracles they so desperately needed.
Director: Chazz Palminteri, France Lachapelle
Cast: Adrianne Richards, Alan Arkin, Andy Bradshaw, Arthur Holden, Bernadette M. Reis, Bill Corday, Billy Porter, Bridget Charles Ellis, Budd Mishkin, Carmen Echeverria, Carmen Ejogo, Chantal Lonergan
