It had all the makings of a horrible Christmas tale and yet by the end there is much more to this than meets the eye.
Rather than opting more saccharine and tears this hits just hard enough and tough enough and has more relevance now than the film-makers could imagine.
Dealing in the main with the utter desperation of a family who find themselves living in shelter and hoping for more the pacing could be tighter and the ideas more fluid but the relationship between the father and stepson is very good indeed.
If you're patient and don't want a quick fix you will love this - but it is slightly askew in its overall tone - it struggles here and there to keep your attention - but overall I was surprised and pleasantly so.
A different take on Christmas and a different take on values...