Advent

Directed by Charlie Duckerin, Kaush Patel and Dave Hastings

2024

Heritage Cinematics

In the spirit(s) of Christmas, both with alcohol and mystical beings, a new anthology feature arrives under the tree this festive season from Charlie Duckerin, Kaush Patel and Dave Hastings.

First covered on our site back in 2020 - the Covid pandemic led to a lengthy yet understandable pause - Advent is an anthology movie from the makers of Midlands Movies Awards Best Feature 2018 winner House of Screaming Death.

Framed around a Christmas light switch on, the film comprises 3 festive fables beginning with Ho-Ho-Hostage directed by Dave Hastings and Kaush Patel. Here we see a family facing difficulties who cross paths with some dastardly thieves. But arriving to help both the family and somewhat thwart the criminals is Santa. Yes, the actual Santa. Responding to the family’s child Christmas letter he arrives with some much needed hope during an extremely difficult time.

This section explores the very real problems facing vulnerable families during the holidays but never dwells too much on the struggles, instead providing a positive message of support with a dash of festive magic.

Up next, the Three Ghosts is directed by Kaush Patel alone and is a take on the classic A Christmas Carol story. In this version, a mum and two daughters are distraught at the loss of the father and begin to consider drastic actions to escape their pain. Despite hardly being a festive topic, it’s quite surprising to think that the issue has been explored in many a Christmas film such as It’s A Wonderful Life and the Christmas-set The Apartment.

More explicitly than those flicks, this confronts the issue of self-harm straight on and once again, uses a spiritual entity to show people their life matters. It features a far darker tone than the opening cheerful story which somewhat throws the viewer off given its extreme thematic shift - but the lead actresses give a very tender take on this emotive topic.

The third and final part is Dominik directed by Dave Hastings. This segment sees a distraught man arrive at a church Midnight Mass each year with the congregation wondering who he is. Yet as they investigate it comes to light that something in the past still haunts him. But eventually with support and understanding there’s an acceptance of the troubling circumstances he has faced.

Consisting of a HUGE cast of actors, the performances are solid throughout and there’s a real filmmaking “spirit” to the whole proceedings. Tackling sensitive topics, it’s clear the issues are close to the filmmakers’ hearts and reminds us that despite all of the festivities and frivolities, the winter holidays can be an extremely tough season for people. Loneliness, sadness and strife are troubling experiences for far too many.

On a filmmaking level, the directors provide assured moments of laughter and levity but also know how to handle delicate and emotional topics without any crass or exploitative intentions. However, they’re also done relatively heavy-handed and there’s not a lot of subtext or surprise with the narratives going exactly where you expect.

For me, as so often with indie films, I feel it could be slightly more accessible with a tighter cut. A full 2-hours means scenes can feel a little stretched out to breaking point. Filmmakers often don’t want to cut out very supportive friends and families to push their stories ahead just a little quicker. With mere minutes shaved off here and there, this could provide a 90-minute leaner edit which may be more palatable for a general audience.

Despite that personal preference, the film doesn’t skimp from avoiding difficult subject matters during a time where “forced-fun” can be a pressure for a lot of people. It covers honourable themes with thoughtful intent, and although there’s some improvements to make, we should give thanks to Advent for highlighting these throughout its triptych of tales.

★★★½

3.5 / 5

Michael Sales

X @midlandsmovies