Five magical films about Christmas: what to watch for the holidays

Christmas is a time when each of us feels special magic and warmth. This holiday always unites, gives joy and hope for the best. UNN offers a selection of wonderful, atmospheric films that can be watched by the whole family.

Merry Christmas (Last Christmas) 2019 – the main character Kate works in a London shop for Christmas goods. In an elf costume, she entertains visitors, if you can call it that. She hasn’t cared about her appearance for a long time, alcohol has replaced her best friend, and she often gets drunk to forget how bad and boring everything is. But one day, Kate meets a strange boy named Tom, who helps the girl to revise her views on life and to improve her relationship with the world around her.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Country: Great Britain, USA

Director: Paul Fieg

Actors: Emilia Clarke, Madison Ingoldsby, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Emma Thompson, Rebecca Ruth, Lydia Leonard.

Christmas chronicles (The Christmas Chronicles) 2018 – brother and sister Teddy and Kate live together with their mother, their beloved father died while fighting a fire. Christmas had always been a favorite holiday in their home, but after the death of their father, everything became different. This year, their mother had to go on duty at the hospital, and the children were left alone. For teenagers, such news becomes a shock and the whole mood simply disappears. Soon, to raise their spirits, the children decide to film Santa on video, but they could not have thought that the real Santa Claus would come to them and take his journey with them.

Genre: Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy, Family

Country: USA

Director: Clay Kaitis

Actors: Kurt Russell, Derby Camp, Judah Lewis, Goldie Gawn, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Oliver Hudson, Lamorne Morris.

A boy named Christmas (A Boy Called Christmas) 2021 – once upon a time in Finland there lived a boy named Nicholas who believed in miracles with all his heart. He is destined to become a symbol of the most important holiday of the year, but he does not even know about it yet. An ordinary boy lived in a simple poor family before becoming Santa Claus. When his father disappeared during an expedition to the Arctic Circle, he did not despair and decided to save his dad. Nicholas set out to look for him at the North Pole, and miracles awaited him behind the northern lights. The boy discovered a magical world and returned the spirit of Christmas to the village of elves. His close friend, a mouse named Mika, travels with him through the snowy north. He had to go through a lot to realize how important it is to bring good to people.

Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Family

Country: Great Britain, France

Director: Gil Keenan

Actors: Jim Broadbent, Sally Hawkins, Maggie Smith and Kristen Wiig.

The aroma of love (Love Hard) 2021 – the main character, an experienced journalist, succeeds in her career, but suffers in her personal life, yearning for love. Despite her best intentions, she keeps hooking up with the wrong men she wants. One day, driven by her passion, she travels across the country to meet a boy she met on a dating app, believing he could be her perfect match. However, upon arriving at the boy’s place, she discovers a complete deception. Instead of a handsome man, she is met by an insecure curmudgeon and a master of photoshop. Tired of enduring such cruel treatment, she reaches the limit. Now she must find a way to assert herself and resist the constant insults that men inflict on her.

Genre: Melodramas, Comedy

Country: USA

Director: Hernan Jimenez

Actors: Nina Dobrev, Jimmy O. Young, Rebecca Staab, Harry Shum Jr.

Abandoned (The Holdovers) 2023 – no one likes Barton Academy teacher Paul Ganham, because students, colleagues and the principal are annoyed by his arrogance. With no family and no plans for Christmas, Paul decides to stay at the school to look after the students who didn’t go home. Thus, only one student remains in the school – a troubled boy named Angus. Paul and Angus are joined by Mary, a cook whose son has gone missing in Vietnam. These three completely different people, who are going through a difficult period of life, become an unusual Christmas company, facing fun adventures.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Country: USA

Director: Alexander Payne

Actors: Paul Giamatti, Carrie Preston, Brady Hepner.