A Boy Called Christmas (2021)

Film and Plot Synopsis

The origin story of Father Christmas is re-imagined in Gil Kenan’s live action A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS. An ordinary young boy called Nikolas sets out on an extraordinary adventure into the snowy north in search of his father who is on a quest to discover the fabled village of the elves, Elfhelm. Taking with him a headstrong reindeer called Blitzen and a loyal pet mouse, Nikolas soon meets his destiny in this magical, comic, and endearing story that proves nothing is impossible. (Courtesy of StudioCanal.com)

‘A Boy Called Christmas’ Movie Summary

In modern day on Christmas Eve, Moppet (Ayomide Garrick), Andrea (Isabella O’Sullivan), and Patrick (Eden Lawrence) are left with their great Aunt Ruth (Maggie Smith) when their father, Matt (Joel Fry), is suddenly called into work. The kids’ mother and Matt’s wife has recently died, and the family has decided not to celebrate Christmas this year. Aunt Ruth decides to entertain the children by telling them all a Christmas tale from her youth.

In the story, 13-year-old Nikolas (Henry Lawfull) and his father Joel (Michiel Huisman) live deep in the woods. Nikolas’ mother was killed two years earlier after a bear attacked her. It is a lonely existence, but Nikolas entertains himself each night by remembering the legend of a place called Elfhelm, a magical place inhabited by elves that helped a young girl survive the winter once when she became lost in the woods. One night, a small mouse tries to steal some food from Joel and Nikolas. Joel tries to kill the mouse, but Nikolas takes pity on the small creature and decides to keep it as his pet. He names the mouse Miika (Stephen Merchant) and tries to teach the animal to speak.

One day, the King (Jim Broadbent) summons his subjects to the castle and promises a big reward to any person who is able to find an object that would bring hope back to the kingdom. A few days later, Joel joins a group of hunters, led by Joel’s brother Anders (Rune Temte), in a quest to find Elfhelm. Joel leaves Nikolas under the care of Nikolas’ Aunt Carlotta (Kristen Wiig), a bitter, selfish woman who takes joy in making Nikolas’ life miserable. After Aunt Carlotta destroys some of Nikolas’ prized possessions, Nikolas finds a map that confirms the existence of Elfhelm. Nikolas and Miika set off on a journey north to find Joel and provide him with the map. Along the way, Nikolas learns that Miika has learned to speak. When the pair reaches the Half Moon Forest, they encounter a reindeer that Nikolas names Blitzen which allows the human boy to ride him.

Ultimately, Nikolas reaches the location of Elfhelm on the map but finds nothing there except for Joel’s knife. Hungry and cold, Nikolas loses hope and collapses in the snow. The boy is found by two elves that are passing by, Little Noosh (Indica Watson) and Father Topo (Toby Jones). Topo uses a hope spell on the unconscious Nikolas which revives the boy and allows him to recover. When Nikolas inquires as to where they are going, Topo informs the human boy that he is in Elfhelm, but it is only visible to the people who believe in the place.

Nikolas concentrates and the Elf city begins to appear before him. The elves are suspicious of Nikolas, but Topo invites him to stay. However, when the ruler of Elfhelm, Mother Vodol (Sally Hawkins), learns of Nikolas’ presence within the city, she blames Nikolas for the abduction of a small elf child named Little Kip (Rishi Kuppa) by a group of humans. Vodol sentences Nikolas to be eaten by a troll in the Dark Tower. However, once in the Tower, Nikolas manages to escape with the assistance of a young fairy Truth Pixie (Zoe Colletti). Nikolas escapes with Blitzen from Elfhelm but promises to find the humans that abducted Little Kip and return the child to his family.

Grief is the price we pay for love, and worth it, a million times over. Aunt Ruth (Maggie Smith)

Once back in the forest, Nikolas finds Little Kip and his abductors. However, he is shocked to learn that it is his father’s hunting party. Nikolas tries to convince them to release the elf, but the hunting party imprisons Nikolas and Blitzen. During the night, Joel frees Nikolas, Little Kip, and Blitzen and the foursome attempts to return to Elfhelm. The hunters pursue. Blitzen tries to use his ability to fly to escape. However, the reindeer, carrying Little Kip and Nikolas, cannot lift Joel’s sled by himself. Joel decides to sacrifice himself so that Nikolas can escape and fly away. Joel’s sled plunges over cliff, and he is killed.

A devastated Nikolas returns to Elfhelm with Little Kip. He arrives just in time to prevent Topo from being punished. Little Kip’s parents reward Nikolas with the elves’ traditional making of toys. Nikolas then has an idea and has all the elves create bountiful gifts of toys and candies with the notion of bringing hope back to his kingdom. As Nikolas is about to leave on Blitzen, he is confronted by Vodol. The elf ruler tries to stop Nikolas, but when she sees the locket that Nikolas received from his mother, she stops her attack. The locket contains a portrait of Nikolas’ mother. Vodol reveals that the legendary girl who reached Elfhelm was Nikolas’ mother. Vodol reveals to Nikolas that she lost faith in humanity when the humans abducted Little Kip. Little Kip’s safe return has returned her faith. Nikolas tells Vodol that his mother always remembered how joyful it was in Elfhelm.

Not long after, Nikolas returns to his kingdom on Christmas Eve to see his king. Nikolas offers the King one of the toys. Confused, the King asks him about the meaning of the gift. Nikolas takes him to all the houses in the kingdom to leave toys for the children while also trying not to disturb anyone while they sleep. After Nikolas helps his Aunt Carlotta to believe, the King decides to help him. The King sees that Nikolas’ actions have returned hope to the kingdom. This was the beginning of the traditional Christmas.

The film ends where it began, with Aunt Ruth telling the children the story. She explains to the children the meaning of Nikolas’ actions although the children have already determined that the story is the origin of Santa Claus. She also explains that she felt that one of them had already accepted the fate of their late mother and had learned to live with her death. Matt returns a brief time later and finds the living room completely decorated for Christmas including presents under the tree. As Aunt Ruth puts on her hat to leave, her pointy ears are briefly visible. As she leaves Matt’s neighborhood, she throws a firework into the sky, revealing herself to be an elderly Truth Pixie.