016 Speculative Fiction – New
Appropriately enough, we round off 2019 with a Christmas
story. I was surprised by how much I
enjoyed The Christmas Present and
how moving I found it. It’s very hard to
write a non-formulaic Christmas drama of this kind, but by God, I think Ben
Crompton has done it. He also stars as
the protagonist, Stephen, a father and husband who is not enjoying Christmas as
his life is just too stressful. He has
to go away for work the week before Christmas and leaves behind his nonplussed
wife, Holly (Christine Bottomley), and a daughter, Ivy (Poppy O’Brien) who
wants to get to know her dad, if only he’d let her. When Stephen misses his train, he spends the
evening getting pissed in the train station bar, where he sees a very lifelike
Father Christmas (Stephen Marzella). He
confesses he wishes he could go back to a time when life was slower-paced and
more innocent. Thus, the next morning he
wakes up in his car as the boy of nine he used to be. Hilarity and poignancy in equal measure
ensue, which is helped by the cracking acting chops of Albie Crompton,
presumably Ben’s son, as the young Stephen.
Stephen’s week as a child allows him to see everything in a new
light. I won’t spoil it, but it was a
drama that was funny and heart-warming in a way that is rare to find. It was a
lovely treat to listen to on Boxing Day. The
Christmas Present also starred Graeme Hawley and Chris Jack and was
directed by Nadia Molinari.
And that ends Quarter 4 reviews! As tradition dictates, the next post will be
the 2019 Golden Weevil Awards.
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