Have you ever wondered how, in the days surrounding Thanksgiving, corners and empty lots suddenly become filled with people selling live Christmas trees?  Of course, “live” is a relative term since they have been cut from their roots to die a slow death in somebody’s home for the next month or more.  Either way, it seems strange, especially if you live in Florida like me, a place conspicuously low on Blue spruces, Douglas firs, and Scotch pines.  How they get here is not the subject of today’s film, All if Bright (2013), though it is part of the story.  Instead, it features themes appropriate to the Christmas season, even from a Catholic perspective.  The manner of presentation might leave a little to be desired for this Christian, but at least it is not a romantic comedy.

Indeed, it would be difficult to picture a romantic comedy beginning as does All is Bright.  Dennis (Paul Giamatti) is recently released from prison in Quebec, Canada, and is walking down a lonely northern highway.  Having no one to pick him up, he is forced to trudge all the way to see his wife, Therese (Amy Landecker), and their young daughter, Michi (Tatyana Richaud).  They are not expecting him for a few reasons, mainly because Therese has told Michi that Dennis is dead.  Therese allows Dennis inside once Michi has gone to bed and explains as best as possible the reason for lying to their daughter.  As they argue in the kitchen, Dennis notices a picture on the refrigerator of Michi and Therese with his former partner in crime, Rene (Paul Rudd).  It is already bad enough that Dennis is being replaced, but to have it be by Rene is almost too much to bear.  Rene had not shown up for their last job, which is what landed Dennis in prison.  The next morning, Dennis visits Rene at the bar in town and punches the younger man in the face.  Because Dennis had told Therese that he is no longer a thief, he goes to the employment office, only to be told that there will be nothing available until after the holidays.  Believing he has no other choice, he returns to Rene to plan a heist.  However, Rene has made the same pledge to lead an honest life.  He does so by doing a number of different bits of temporary work.  With Christmas approaching, it is time to renew his annual trip to New York City to sell a load of seasonal trees.  Dennis demands that he goes with, but Rene claims to already have a partner.  Yet, when that other person is unable to go, Rene taps Dennis as the replacement.  After slipping across the border, a necessary move since Dennis is on parole and therefore cannot leave the country, he further endures the chatty Rene before arriving in Brooklyn.  Their lot is full of garbage, but to make matters worse, they awaken in the morning to find another Christmas tree vendor set up across the street.  Dennis immediately walks over and intimidates the other person into leaving.  Still, for the first few days, nobody purchases a tree from them.  The lack of sales has Dennis thinking they should resort to stealing, but Dennis remains positive that things will change.  The first bit of change comes in the form of Olga (Sally Hawkins).  She is a Russian maid who is house sitting for a rich dentist that lives nearby.  Following an unsuccessful solicitation, she returns to buy a tree from Dennis.  She asked that it be delivered, but he cannot leave the lot without Rene being present.  Once Rene finally returns, Dennis takes it to the dentist’s brownstone and helps set it in its stand.  While there, the normally light-fingered Dennis notices a number of expensive items to pilfer, including a painting with a safe behind it.  Nonetheless, the only thing he takes is a crystal candy dish that he pawns for $150.  As it turns out, that is the last time he will have to resort to such measures as sales at their pop-up begin to boom.  The commercial success, though, does not improve relations between Dennis and Rene, mainly because of the relationship of the latter with the former’s family.  Dennis is convinced that Rene is not good enough for Michi and Therese.  For now, what keeps Rene and Therese apart is the fact that he is still married to another woman, with whom he is separated.  In anticipation of a future marriage, he purchases a wedding ring with some of the money they have earned.  Doing so enrages Dennis not just because of what it means for him in relation to Michi and Therese, but because Rene had used funds obtained from tree sales.  Things get more tense when Rene is told his divorce has come through, causing him to walk away from the lot in shock.  He also leaves his phone behind, and eventually Dennis feels compelled to answer the incessant calls from Therese asking about her boyfriend.  Between that and Olga’s previous encouragement to let Michi and Therese go, Dennis welcomes Rene back with some advice as to how to approach proposing to Therese.  With only a couple days to go before they are supposed to return to Canada, Dennis and Rene have a party with Olga and Nzomo (Colman Domingo), a local man they befriended, to celebrate the success of their business.  Unfortunately, that night they are robbed by one of their customers, who takes all the money and the ring.  Rene is distraught, but Dennis comes up with a plan.  Though Rene is not thrilled with the idea of breaking in and entering, Dennis gets around the moral quandary by saying they cannot go home emptied handed and threatening Rene’s life.  Their target, though, is not the aforementioned safe, but the dentist’s grand piano, which they manage to get into the trailer.  With that, they drive to Quebec and set the instrument up for Michi as a Christmas gift.  Without any fuss, Dennis sees his daughter playing and then walks away.

That is a good way of describing All is Bright’s ending: without fuss.  All the same, there are a few things in this story about which this Catholic would like to make a fuss.  One can argue that this is a failing on my part, but I wanted there to be a redemption arc for Dennis.  I quickly gave up on the notion of him reuniting with his family.  It is difficult to come back from you wife telling your young daughter that you are dead, at least not with inflicting further trauma.  Besides, Therese makes it clear that she can no longer trust Dennis.  This is not a Catholic position to take, though it is likely these characters would not think of their actions in this manner.  Every person is worthy of redemption.  This is the Church’s teaching, and it applies to everyone, Christian or otherwise.  This includes criminals like Dennis.  It is easy for us to completely dismiss people like him.  He is a thief and throughout the film he does not seem to want to give up that life.  There are a few moments when he claims that he wants to leave behind his criminal ways, only to take things like the candy dish and snacks from a nearby restaurant.  Just like everyone, including the most evil person you can think of, is capable of God’s mercy, there is no such thing as petty theft.  Big or small, taking something that does not belong to you is a sin.  Our God is not One for half measures.  What He can do is see the heart.  I want to say that Dennis’ heart is a good one.  He does relent on Rene and his family.  This all makes the fact that he steals a piano, even if it is for his daughter (which is arguably worse), disappointing.

The way All is Bright ends is the most disappointing aspect of the movie.  Further, you might read what I have written and conclude that it is not a Christmas movie.  I disagree, if for no other reason than the fact that it is not a romantic comedy.  It may have some questionable moments in it, but it least it is not predictable.