This small gem is a rarity: a quality Christmas film. I am not sure there exists another film to which it can be compared. It is not overtly vulgar in the way of, say, Bad Santa, but it will also send viewers in search of simple It's a Wonderful Life style uplift into a tailspin. The storyline turns on a suburban real-estate agent whose life is turned upside down when she finds her husband dead in their home (murdered by burglars) in early December. A drama laced with potent doses of left-field, at times even perverse humor, the film contrasts her grief and its manifestations, including an improbable friendship with an exotic dancer she is told slept with her late husband, with the artificial storefront magic of the holidays in America. In the lead role, Anna Margaret Hollyman delivers a minor miracle of a performance, her dry comic timing perfectly complemented by an ability to convey heartache with the utmost sincerity. She anchors and elevates the film. It is not always polished and ends on a note I found a shade too abrupt, but also has an outsize heart and a fresh perspective which lampoons and quietly celebrates the holiday season in equal measure.

B+