★★★1/2

A Christmas-themed documentary playing in a late Spring film festival? Well, So This is Christmas is not your typical holiday fare. While initially appearing to be a film about how a select group of people in Ireland celebrate Christmas, we start to realize that these are individuals with stories to tell about how they have struggled with the festive holiday or, at a minimum, have complicated feelings about Christmas and what it has meant to them either now or in the past.

From a widower to a single mother of three, the people that director Ken Wardrop embeds with over the holiday season are willing to be at their most vulnerable and honest. The experience makes for a film that at one time had a working title of “I Hate Christmas,” but becomes less a film about bashing the sacred nature of a holiday many hold dear and instead embraces the bigger concepts around the season. While the traditions can cause complications, spending time with loved ones, investing time in your family, and giving to others resonates strongly. 

For most, the commercialism and demands of the holiday often go unacknowledged. Wardrop manages to straddle the line between tearing down tradition and reminding us that holidays and events mean different things to different people. So This is Christmas is largely an insightful documentary which, with even a few scenes feeling potentially staged, retains an authentic honesty in the stories and testimonials shared that may make you think about Christmas, and major celebratory traditions, in a slightly different way.

So This is Christmas was screened as part of the 50th Seattle International Film Festival.