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Christmas time can be a magical time for many. Others see it as a chaotic and often anxiety ridden. But what about those that want to make it a beautiful thing again all while trying to live past their own regrets. The holidays for sober people and those trying to enter recovery can be a time of great challenge. For those that are sober alcohol can go hand and hand with the holidays, and while if you ask most alcoholics a drink is never choosy to one day or the other, Christmas time and its warm embrace still offers the perfect opportunity to find yourself back in old and dangerous patterns. For Cliff (Michael Strassner) Christmas time doesn’t just remind him of a life where sobriety was never a choice, but also a time where he felt his choices had run out entirely. Nearly a year ago Cliff tried to take his own life but when he was “unsuccessful” due to the rope not being able to hold his weight, Cliff finds himself at Christmas time again with six months sober, a slightly better relationship with his fiancé Brittany (Olivia Luccardi) and an all too new front tooth injury. THE BALTIMORONS directed by Jay Duplass is another reminder that both Jay and his filmmaker brother Mark (who serves as a producer) are some of the last remaining defenders of true independent cinema. THE BALTIMORONS is a Christmas tale turned nighttime romp (to the tune of some light Charlie Brown esque jazz) that breathes truthfulness not just because of its authentic Baltimore citizens but also just a rare depiction of vulnerability that both praises the hard work while still recognizes the work that lies ahead for the saving of one’s own life. A film that is as much of a Christmas present as it is a reminder how easy it is to find yourself left out in the cold.

Cliff doesn’t know if he can move forward. With six months sober his girlfriend Brittany is both proud of his accomplishments while hesitant to loosen the reigns. Cliff on the other hand is nervous to start a new chapter with his fiancé in marriage, a new family and possibly leaving his previous world of improv comedy behind. Strassner as Cliff is both easy to like while also playing a lovable schlub just trying to get by. A humorous starting off point of him accidently smashing his face into a brick house is as humorous as it is tragic when in comparison to the drunken life Cliff once lived. Anyone who is sober or knows someone close to them who battles the disease of addiction can relate to how lovable people can be while also having you worry every time they leave the house. Cliff is a product of it all and his now Christmas Eve injury requires him to seek out the loneliest dentist in Baltimore. Didi (Liz Larsen) is not only open on Christmas Eve her nighttime plans with her daughter have been cancelled due to her daughter wanting to attend her ex-husband’s new wedding reception. This allows for a screenplay from Strassner and Duplass to become a sort of Christmas miracle where two lost souls find their way to one another as THE BALTIMORONS becomes a one night adventure for two people doing everything they can to avoid the comfort of others by sticking together. Larsen and Strassen have endearing chemistry especially when the film never tries to pull the rug out from under you in regard to their sexual chemistry. Sure there is a couple quick jabs about the age difference and the weirdness of just meeting a new dentist and wanting to be around them, but THE BALTIMORONS always stays true to the notion that connection is what these two seek as long as it’s a new found one.

Even as the Christmas Eve activities turn from peculiar to possibly dangerous there always seems to be a support system between Cliff and Didi. This is especially true when each of them return to a place of their not so respected past. For Didi it is in the house of her ex-husband and for Cliff it is the return to his improv group, a group of close friends who also had to move away from Cliff’s alcoholic endeavors. Being at an improv show on Christmas Eve may seem depressing for anyone outside of Second City but for Cliff and a small group of Baltimore’s most exciting it is the perfect place to spend time with newfound family. It is here where Strassner as a performer and Cliff as a character truly come to life in a promise that life does have purpose in a world of sobriety. The film itself should be commended for its ability to portray alcoholism not just as the destructive disease that it is but also a gift to those that can see a better way to live for themselves. Beyond that Olivia Luccardi’s performance as Brittany is never reduced to worrying or nagging girlfriend but rather a perfectly accurate display on how the disease causes your loved ones to want to trust but also carry the scars of every relapse or action of disrespect. The film’s focus on these moments outshine the major story of Cliff and Didi’s romance mainly due to it feeling more rooted in reality as opposed to the flashier more sentimental version of Christmastime. The film doesn’t struggle in its attempt at fantastical but rather just succeeds greatly in other places not often seen in film that you are more engaged to get back to those moments.

THE BALTIMORONS may not become the annual Christmas watch for the sappy “Rudolph the Reindeer” watchers but in its own regard can hold itself up to last year’s critically acclaimed “The Holdovers,” a film that also succeeded in the more emotional. It is far and beyond its own film but also a reminder that Christmas time is for the lost just as it is for those comfortable with every decision. THE BALTIMORONS shines bright not just for its ability to channel heart into a lonesome dove but also just to be proof that some of us need to walk into walls to get the gift we deserve.

B+

THE BALTIMORONS WILL BE IN SELECT THEATERS SEPTMEBER 5 FROM IFC