Christmas Eve in Miller's Point

Aunts and grandmas descend on the youngest nephew to cover his cheeks in red-lipstick kisses. Middle-aged siblings discuss what to do with their aging mother. The player piano performs to an empty room. The vibes are festive in co-writer/director Tyler Taormina’s low-key drama, which premiered at Cannes earlier this year and opens in limited release today. If you pay attention to small, passing details around the edges, however, sometimes those vibes are slightly off.

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In other words, it’s a lot like being surrounded by family during the most festive and/or stressful time of year — just not necessarily your family. That mostly translates to a sense of warmth and nostalgia, like gathering around the fireplace and putting a star on the tree, during the film’s leisurely 106 minutes. There’s bickering among the Balsano clan, sure, and not all of the finger foods are especially appetizing, but for the most part everybody seems glad to be together — a feeling that extends to the viewer. Taormina co-produced AFI Fest standout Eephus, whose own co-writer/director, Carson Lund, shot Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point and did an excellent job of it; the two movies would make for a talky, vibey double feature.

The ensemble cast includes a number of familiar faces and names: Michael Cera, Elsie Fisher of Eighth Grade, Francesca Scorsese (daughter of Martin), Sawyer Spielberg (son of Steven). It would be hard to describe any one of them as the lead — unlike certain families, no single personality dominates here. Cera, in a typically (and hilariously) offbeat role, is one of two police officers (the other is Gregg Turkington) who show up from time to time for mostly silent comic relief as members of the Balsano family go about the night. A notable exception is when they not-so-subtly announce the feelings they may or may not have for one another. The exchange feels vital despite having little bearing on the actual narrative, which is emblematic of the film’s overall appeal.

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You might call it a kind of hangout movie, one with more vibes than plot, of the sort that you could put on during a family gathering of your own and not necessarily give your undivided attention. But just because not a lot happens doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot going on. In seeing how these people live, how they interact with their loved ones, and how they uphold the traditions they grew up with while creating new ones of their own, you almost feel as though you’re watching a docudrama.

You might call it a kind of hangout movie, one with more vibes than plot.

Though its indie sensibility is evident in the free-floating narrative and sometimes mumbly dialogue, Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point is also sweetly conventional. It’s inherently nostalgic, a feeling enhanced by the seasonally appropriate glow of Lund’s visuals — Christmas somehow feels more authentic, even comforting, when seen through the imperfect lens of a camcorder or disposable camera. Not unlike last year’s The Holdovers, its irony-free approach endears you to it even as you imagine what place it might hold in your own holiday-movie canon.

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Not much has changed by the end of the night. For most of the adults this particular Christmas Eve will blur with most others, but a few of the children have had small experiences that they’ll recall in vivid detail for reasons they aren’t quite sure of when recalling them years later. You might remember Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point the same way.