In 2022, a Canadian living in north London spent Christmas Day with his Lithuanian flatmate, eating a makeshift meal and watching the 2003 film Tiptoes, which he described as the strangest movie he had ever seen. The pair, both away from their families, set up a projector in the flatmate's bedroom and ate Christmas lunch on their laps from desk chairs.
The meal consisted of a small roast chicken with Canadian stuffing, pasta, and Brussels sprouts cooked with bacon, maple syrup, Parmesan, and mayonnaise drizzle, which the cook admitted was not very nice. They also drank prosecco that the flatmate had won in a competition, despite neither of them liking it.
The film Tiptoes features Gary Oldman playing a man with dwarfism, walking on his knees, while Matthew McConaughey plays his average-sized twin brother. The movie also stars Kate Beckinsale, who reportedly only agreed to be in the film if she could wear her lucky hat, which resembles a black-and-white striped Santa hat. Despite roles for actors with dwarfism, including Peter Dinklage, the film was widely considered poorly written and inappropriate.
The viewer had long been intrigued by Tiptoes, having discussed it with a friend back home and watched YouTube reviews. He felt guilty watching it without her but reasoned that a conventional Christmas film might have made them sad. Instead, the weird film, weird food, and weird Christmas Day felt appropriate for the circumstances.
