Once (B+ or 3/4 stars)
'Once' is an Irish musical written & directed by John Carney. Dublin, Ireland: 'He' (Glen Hansard) is a vacuum repairman by day & a street singer by night (hoping for passersby to toss some coins his way whilst singing some original songs). 'She' (Marketa Irglova) is a Czech immigrant who cleans homes & sells roses by day, and stumbles upon this singing man one night. Intrigued by his song(s), a friendship sparks, and he finds himself agreeing to help fix her broken Hoover vacuum. His songwriting tells a tale of regretful love, and she, herself, is a musician with some original works of her own. A partnership is forged. And what unfolds in the next 80 minutes is a poignant week in the life of these 2 kindred spirits. The production of the film is weak, but the content sure isn't.
Although he's initially perturbed that this young girl has interrupted his playing, he eventually finds her attractive & is pleasantly surprised by her earnest interest in his music. They meet for lunch the next day, and head to a music store so that 'she' can show-off her piano-playing talents to 'him'. After playing some impressive Mendelssohn, he teaches her one of his awesome songs & their musical connection is firmly established. It is also during this scene where you get an implication that they may be attracted to each other; I love this scene. They go back to her flat (inhabited by other Czech immigrants), but as soon as he learns that she has a child and is a lonely wife (neglectful hubby is back home in Czech Republic), a flirtatious romance is put on the backburner.
With the focus back on music, they write, they fine-tune, they listen, they sing, they play, they rehearse some more (all the while, getting to know more about each other, organically, and through song). They secure a bank loan & rent time at a local studio to record some Demo songs. Hoping to kick-start a career (and perhaps, getting back together with his ex-girlfriend), he makes the decision to move to London. He'd like the 'Girl' to come with him. But that would mean her mom and daughter would have to come. Instead, they agree to spend one last platonic night together. I won't divulge what happens in the last 5 minutes of the movie. I'll only say that there couldn't have been a more realistic, appropriate ending to this sweet, low-key film.
This is a musical because most of the film is told in song; but the narrative is still rooted in dialogue. The leads are not actors, and you can tell. Because of this, my favorite scenes are when they're singing & playing their folk/rock music. They are at their most appealing and mesmerizing states when they're conveying their emotions through song ('Falling Slowly' is incredible). Why is it that heartbreak creates most of the most palpable, gutting, emotional love songs ... and why do we enjoy them so much?!? These 2 characters share the same feelings of yesterday's sorrow and today's joy ... it makes their story all the more interactive & moving.
The plot is simple, yet engaging. The Dublin setting is dingy, yet beautiful. But some things do bother me. 'Once' takes a good 10 minutes to get going. The production values are low. The picture is rather dark in places. The sound editing is most disappointing; it made me impatient. Some of the dialogue is downright unintelligible (though it could be a fault of the theater). I found it difficult, at times, to understand what was being said by our foreign leads (though, you didn't have to hear 'any' conversation to understand their connection). THAT'S what's so great about this movie. 'Once' is raw, stripped-to-the-bone, and unpretentious at its core. This is the story of a Girl and a Guy who meet, and for a short while, are affected by their musical time together. Nice music, really nice film.
Although he's initially perturbed that this young girl has interrupted his playing, he eventually finds her attractive & is pleasantly surprised by her earnest interest in his music. They meet for lunch the next day, and head to a music store so that 'she' can show-off her piano-playing talents to 'him'. After playing some impressive Mendelssohn, he teaches her one of his awesome songs & their musical connection is firmly established. It is also during this scene where you get an implication that they may be attracted to each other; I love this scene. They go back to her flat (inhabited by other Czech immigrants), but as soon as he learns that she has a child and is a lonely wife (neglectful hubby is back home in Czech Republic), a flirtatious romance is put on the backburner.
With the focus back on music, they write, they fine-tune, they listen, they sing, they play, they rehearse some more (all the while, getting to know more about each other, organically, and through song). They secure a bank loan & rent time at a local studio to record some Demo songs. Hoping to kick-start a career (and perhaps, getting back together with his ex-girlfriend), he makes the decision to move to London. He'd like the 'Girl' to come with him. But that would mean her mom and daughter would have to come. Instead, they agree to spend one last platonic night together. I won't divulge what happens in the last 5 minutes of the movie. I'll only say that there couldn't have been a more realistic, appropriate ending to this sweet, low-key film.
This is a musical because most of the film is told in song; but the narrative is still rooted in dialogue. The leads are not actors, and you can tell. Because of this, my favorite scenes are when they're singing & playing their folk/rock music. They are at their most appealing and mesmerizing states when they're conveying their emotions through song ('Falling Slowly' is incredible). Why is it that heartbreak creates most of the most palpable, gutting, emotional love songs ... and why do we enjoy them so much?!? These 2 characters share the same feelings of yesterday's sorrow and today's joy ... it makes their story all the more interactive & moving.
The plot is simple, yet engaging. The Dublin setting is dingy, yet beautiful. But some things do bother me. 'Once' takes a good 10 minutes to get going. The production values are low. The picture is rather dark in places. The sound editing is most disappointing; it made me impatient. Some of the dialogue is downright unintelligible (though it could be a fault of the theater). I found it difficult, at times, to understand what was being said by our foreign leads (though, you didn't have to hear 'any' conversation to understand their connection). THAT'S what's so great about this movie. 'Once' is raw, stripped-to-the-bone, and unpretentious at its core. This is the story of a Girl and a Guy who meet, and for a short while, are affected by their musical time together. Nice music, really nice film.