12 Unconventional Christmas Films (That Aren't Die Hard)
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Merry Christmas from us at Films Fatale to you, dearest cinephile! Are you looking for a holiday flick to put on today to bring in the seasonal cheer while challenging yourself more than any run-of-the-mill Christmas film? Are you looking for something festive yet unexpected to make your family gathering even more awkward? We’ve got you covered! Inspired by the unholy, annual discussion on whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas film (so, yeah, we’re not going to include it on this list because I’ve gone on record stating that it is a Christmas film, and I think you may be looking for something else this time around), these twelve films have been a part of the overall discussion on what even constitutes as a holiday feature. These twelve films all embrace or shatter the notion of holiday films through and through, either through the acknowledgement of the warmth and themes of unity and family, or the commentary on the perils of the season that maybe don’t get addressed enough (again, prepare your family before just blindly putting one of these films on). Set to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas, here are twelve unconventional Christmas films (that aren’t named Die Hard) that you can spice up your festivities with in true cinephile fashion.
Editor’s note: take this list partially in jest. I love Christmas and am not a Grinch, despite how some of these entries may read (they’re more descriptions of the films as opposed to my actual thoughts on the season).
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my film buff gave to me…
All that Heaven Allows
12 Friends A-Snooping
Holiday films must have an element of love in them, right? Enter Douglas Sirk’s All That Heaven Allows: a film featuring a romance that has the whole neighbourhood talking. As Cary and Ron’s relationship gets tested during the holiday season, experience the shifting weather and broken hearts in true Technicolor; this film was also released on Christmas Day in 1955, which is more than enough proof that even this vibrant melodrama is fitting for a different kind of holiday feature.
The Apartment
11 Colleagues Mooching
Don’t you just hate office Christmas parties? So does Bud Baxter in Billy Wilder’s Best Picture winner The Apartment, who is forced to confront his loneliness and the fact that he is far too nice (and gets taken advantage of by basically every guy in the workplace) around the Christmas season. Here’s a dramedy approach to acknowledging the little things that matter in the two-faced hoopla of the corporate season.
Black Christmas
10 Jump Scares Looming
No. Don’t watch the awful remake. Stick with the Bob Clark original of Black Christmas which brings the personal gift of slasher flicks to your living room for the holidays. In the same way that Christmas feels like it is just around the corner for what seems like a month whenever this time of year rolls around, so will the presence of a serial killer during what is meant to be the wholesome time of the year when you don’t have to worry about a thing: Black Christmas feels awfully vulnerable.
Brazil
9 Ducts Need Cleaning
Nothing says “It’s Christmas time” like an anti-capitalist, 1984 observation on the illusions of the nine-to-five-driven society. Terry Gilliam’s Brazil takes place around the holidays, and you can see clearly that the magic of Christmas doesn’t apply to those that society doesn’t care for. If you’re looking for a twisted Christmas film that will leave you questioning what is real and what isn’t, then Brazil is the dystopian film for you.
Carol
8 Rumours Spreading
Todd Haynes is most likely the biggest fan of Douglas Sirk that there is, so of course he’ll have a couple of films that feel like Sirk films. He even has his own Christmas film in the form of Carol, which features a blossoming, forbidden romance during a more bigoted era in America. It starts when the titular Carol goes shopping during Christmas and finds her newest love in the form of a salesgirl named Therese. While Carol doesn’t take place exclusively during the holidays, it is obviously a commentary on the feigned notion of the season when people are selective as to who deserves love and joy.
Edward Scissorhands
7 Fingers Snipping
I’ve seen various, like-minded lists elect Tim Burton’s Batman Returns as their Christmas film of choice, but I personally find Edward Scissorhands more fitting. The film is all about trying to assimilate an outcast into a family and society during a time of giving and unity (the climax takes place at Christmastime); the film itself is presented as a fable-like explanation as to why snow exists and where it comes from. The nightmarish third act which has a society rioting against Edward Scissorhands against the festive, decorated, suburban backdrop really makes you think.
Eyes Wide Shut
6 Orgies Forming
In Stanley Kubrick’s final film, we see a family falling apart during the season when families are meant to come together and celebrate. As Dr. Bill Harford descends deeper and deeper into the hidden societies of New York City during the wee hours of the Christmas-light-lit morning, we see someone who has lost all semblance of what being a family man means. To best understand the holidays, it may help to watch the complete antithesis of the season and what it represents: go to the dark side and come back a new person.
Fanny and Alexander
5 Hours Long (!)
If you want Ingmar Bergman’s late-career dissection on the celebration and Swedish identities within the Christmas season, spend around five hours watching the full version of Fanny and Alexander, which kicks off with a lengthy holiday sequence before delving into the shattering of a family and a toxic reconstruction via a strictly religious, abusive step-parent. It concludes with what can only be described as a miracle unlike any you’ve ever seen (it’s wild). How’s this film for Christmas spirit?
L.A. Confidential
4 Gossip Rags
Kicking off with the infamous Bloody Christmas attacks of 1951, L.A. Confidential is a neo-noir classic that embodies unlikely souls banding together when time is of the essence. Other moments of the film evoke the importance of the holidays to bring this mysterious thriller full circle and solidify its themes on the niceties of the season during dark times and in shady places with the worst kinds of people.
The Lion in Winter
3 Huge Fights
Want to see the family Christmas gathering of all family Christmas gatherings? Anthony Harvey’s take on The Lion in Winter is a masterclass of acting from Katharine Hepburn (who won an Oscar for this film), Peter O’Toole, Anthony Hopkins, Jane Merrow, and so many more names. The catch here is that this may be one of the more miserable affairs you’ll find these holidays; dysfunctional doesn’t even begin to describe The Lion in Winter as bickering and arguments lead to one sad Christmas.
Spencer
2 Eaten Pearls
What does family even mean? You may have a clearer answer than Princess Diana did, and Pablo Larraín challenges what the Royal Family is to the Princess of Wales in this surreal, psychological take on Christmas at Sandringham House. Watch as Princess Diana has to put up with pleasantries from people who judge her every move, Christmas feasts when she is made to feel awful about her weight, and gift-giving from those who never give her the time of day when she is in need of help. ‘Tis the season, indeed!
Tangerine
And A Film Shot Solely On iPhone
Lastly, here’s Sean Baker’s breakthrough film, Tangerine: a study on what the holidays mean to underrepresented communities. As a shitstorm takes place on Christmas Eve and carries through the day of, Tangerine tackles what the season of giving may look like to those that society has abandoned or ignored, and what togetherness looks like when you only have one person who’s got your back (and vice versa). If you want your Christmas to embrace chaos, look no further.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Films Fatale to You and Yours!
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.