People give a 10/10 a little too easily, but I feel this movie deserves it. It's small in scope, and doesn't try to be something it's not (a Hollywood film). A couple, down on their luck financially, try to make ends meet at Christmas, but their prospects are slim. Evan chops wood; Nora bakes pies. Each try to make it a perfect Christmas for the other, with mixed success. But it's really the little moments that make this movie -- the interactions between the brusque Evan and Nora's prudish mother, and in turn Nora's bashful reaction to Evan's father's attempts to assist with the couple's lack of success at procreation. Kind of a Canadian "Gift of the Magi," it's like a tiny, perfect little truffle in a box, wrapped with a pretty bow. Not too sweet, not too rich -- just the perfect end to the day for a Christmas Eve viewing. I used to be able to depend on CBC or CTV to show this one every Christmas, but I haven't been able to find it the last couple of years, which is a shame -- it really should be a Canadian TV tradition.
Review of Small Gifts
