Feeling appropriately festive in 2021 seems to be becoming more of a challenge by the day, thanks to Lady Omicron. But even if you can’t smell or taste your dinner come Christmas day, you’ll at least have Luca Guadagnino’s latest feast for the eyes, his new short film O Night Divine. Starring A24 bae Alex Wolff — best known for smashing his head open on a desk in Hereditary (2018) — and the legendary American character actor John C. Reilly, the 43-minute movie is a snowy romp that takes place in a dreamy, Wes Anderson-esque ski resort, produced in collaboration with Spanish fast fashion brand Zara.
The filmmaker called upon his longtime collaborator Michael Mitnick to write the screenplay, which feels appropriate levels of cheesy rom-com for the season. The pair previously worked together on The Staggering Girl, Guadagnino’s 2019 short film.
We meet Alex Wolff’s character, a sloppily-dressed manic pixie dream boy musician, lugging his guitar through the snow — cold and presumably looking for love. The film’s musical composer Alberto Iglesias, best known for his compositions for Pedro Almodóvar, provides Alex with a range of acoustic Christmas crooner songs (“ with jingle bells and / ginger smells, had / too much wine, but / no one tells”) in addition to an Italian serenade that John C. Reilly’s Santa Claus character, aptly named Kristof, sings to the requisite adorable little girl of the film (Chloe Park).
Hailey Gates, a model and filmmaker who appears in Uncut Gems (A.K.A the most stressful film of 2020) and Twin Peaks: The Return makes a dramatic entrance in green velvet and an impeccable eye look, playing a Grinch-type WLW character who appears to have some sort of managerial role at the resort. Other members of the top-tier cast include Samia Benazzouz, Tania Hanyoung Park, Valerio Santucci, Francesca Figus, and Shi Yang Shi.
You can stream O Night Divine in its entirety on Zara’s YouTube channel via the link below. Settle in with a glass of mulled something, and let the wholesome Christmas vibes take you to the snowy slopes.