Touching, heartfelt, irresistible; John Carney´s Once is anything but a traditional musical but ultimately achieves the same effect as the best in the genre.
And make no mistake, this is a musical: throughout the film are music numbers (entirely written and performed by the two stars) that are realistically integrated into the story.
Characters don´t randomly break out into song-and-dance, but perform to make a living, as a way of life – the pretension of a typical musical removed, one can enjoy the excellent soundtrack without being removed from the story.
Impressive direction, handheld camerawork, and natural acting combine to produce a realistic musical unlike any other: not since The Umbrellas of Cherbourg have the boundaries of the genre been broken so effectively.
Glen Hansard (of the Irish band The Frames) stars as an aspiring musician who sings on the streets of Dublin when he´s not fixing vacuum cleaners in his father´s repair shop.
Markéta Irglová plays a Czech immigrant who works in a piano shop by day (and plays them when she gets the chance), and takes care of her mother and daughter by night.
Simplistic to a fault, the film doesn´t even give these characters names – Carney has his eye on conveying emotions, the usual small details deemed unnecessary.
Girl and Guy (as they´re credited) meet by chance on the Dublin streets, as she enjoys his music and happens to have a vacuum in need of repair.
Girl helps Guy cut a demo, and the two begin to quietly fall in love, even though they both have attachments elsewhere: Guy´s girlfriend recently left him and moved to London (where he intends to go to promote his demo), while Girl left her husband in the Czech Republic to seek a better life for herself and her daughter in Ireland.
Minor knowledge of Czech will enhance the experience – especially during one moving scene.
A touching love story, an excellent musical, and a testament to what can be achieved in film on a miniscule budget. Nothing short of magical.
