What's it about? As the snow-dusted streets of New York City teem with bustling shoppers, Noel introduces us to several isolated individuals who are stuck in orbits far outside of the usual holiday cheer. Emotionally fragile Rose (Susan Sarandon) is the sole caregiver for her ailing mother, who she visits in hospital on Christmas Eve as part of her lonely daily routine. From there, however, her night unfolds as a series of unanticipated encounters that will change her view of her world. Meanwhile, police officer Mike (Walker) has a decidedly disturbing run-in with an older man, Artie (Arkin), who takes an unsettling interest in him. At the same time, Mike's unwarranted, paranoid jealously regarding his gorgeous, vivacious fiancie Nina (Cruz) drives a sudden rift between the couple just days before their wedding. Jules (Thomas), a young hustler with a miserable life, will resort to extreme measures to return to the only place he ever spent a happy holiday. As these lives intersect in fleeting, unplanned and emotionally resonant ways, David Hubbard's brilliantly conceived screenplay weaves a series of surprising encounters that lay bare the deepest recesses of the characters' souls. Each in their own way, Rose, Nina, Mike, Artie and Jules are broken or abandoned. As they find each other in the anonymous city, however, they are not only touched by holiday happiness, but also graced by the inexplicable, the unaccountable, maybe even the miraculous. Noel deftly approaches its mature and insightful dramas from a tender, hopeful point, boldly suggesting that in the midst of seeming chaos, everything still happens for a reason.

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