Once (2007)

The premise is basic: the guy (Glen Hansard) tries to earn a living by playing his guitar and performing in the streets of Dublin; one night, the girl (Markéta Irglová) hears him sing and is instantly enchanted by his music; after finding out that he also repairs vacuum cleaners, she negotiates to make him fix her vacuum. They eat lunch together the next day; the girl catches the guy’s attention after she reveals that she too is a musician - she plays the piano. With the guy wanting to hear her play, the two visit a music store where she is allowed by the owner to use the instruments. The guy teaches the girl an original piece, which she is able to learn very quickly; the two then play and sing together, solidifying their connection with one another.

They continue to share their passion for music as they constantly meet up; and in the course of their get-togethers, it would then be revealed that the guy’s main inspiration for his melancholic songs is Catherine - the woman that he used to love, one who left him for another man. Presumably, he has yet to move on as he still longs to be with her; meanwhile, the girl also has her own emotional baggage, as she already has a daughter; with the father of her child separated from them, as he remains in the Czech Republic. These factors in turn, play big on the development of the guy and girl’s relationship.


The fact that the lead cast isn't composed of professional actors plays well for the film – their acting was surprisingly effective as they were very natural in their perfomance. It’s arguably their being real musicians that helped them get into character quite easily. Truly, it's in the musical presentations when we really see them bearing their souls – seemingly unchoreographed, the improvisations in their portrayal are just simply captivating.

With its hand-held cinematography and the use of amateur videos, "Once" has a certain feel of a home movie, which isn’t really a bad thing as it makes the story even more believable. It’s as if we’re just watching a reality show, a making-of-the-band of sorts wherein there’s this guy and girl struggling to become musicians.
As a modern musical, the film was most realistic in its execution. Needless to say, the music and the songs were in excellent harmony, with every lyric adding a certain depth to the story and its characters. Songs such as “Falling Slowly” (the one they first sang together) are just heartwarming, with Hansard’s melancholic compositions just rips one’s heart apart.

One of the film’s highlights is the scene where the guy asks the girl if she still loves her husband. She answers in Czech and the film does not display any subtitles. One becomes so anxious to know what she meant to the point that we're tempted to freeze the screen until we find out the translation. Indeed this is where the film succeeds – in not giving us what we (typically would) want, which is quite rare in most romantic films. By doing so, it gives the film magic as we ourselves are put to the test.

In essence, “Once” is really just a simple, honest and heartfelt story; and the feeling one gets after seeing it, if we're able to commit ourselves to it, is simply indescribable - you won’t mind playing it more than once.