This is a reprint of an older review. Just warning ya.
Chances are you’ve never heard of this independent Irish film, unless, of course, you’re really into film or you were one of the few people that watched the 2008 Academy Awards (I’m guilty on both charges). Once, which recently (and deservedly) won the Oscar for Best Original Song, is the simple story of two amateur musicians and their desire to make it big. Professional musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova give true-to-life performances as the Guy and the Girl (their names are never mentioned). Hansard plays a vacuum-cleaner repairman and guitar player who catches the eye of a Czech woman wandering the streets of Dublin. The woman coincidentally has a broken vacuum-cleaner, which Hansard offers to fix. As they near his shop, the two decide to stop by a music store wherein Irglova demonstrates her ability to play the piano and learns a new song courtesy of Hansard (the Oscar-winning “Falling Slowly”).
Over the next few days, the two friends get to know each other a little more; Irglova’s character, for example, lives with her five-year-old daughter and a mother/nanny who prefers to speak in Czech. Hansard, on the other hand, has lost his girlfriend to another man and dreams of going to London and becoming a professional musician. As the story unfolds, the two collaborate on a demo recording that could be a possible start to Hansard’s career. One of the film’s most captivating scenes involves the duo, accompanied by a group of street players, recording the powerful and all-around breathtaking number, “When Your Mind’s Made Up.”
I am almost saddened not to give this film a perfect 10. In fact, it took me a couple of viewings to determine what exactly it was that prevented me from doing so. The only drawback I could find is that the movie does tend to slow down whenever it isn’t focused on either of the main characters (case in point: a musical get-together that feels almost unnecessary). The story is carried out by the spellbinding music and the two main actors/musicians, who say their lines naturally and without any sort of exaggeration that you might find in, say, a big-budget American blockbuster.
To some, this premise may seem dull and tedious, but, then again, we Americans are so used to plot-hole-riddled, action-fueled junk that this isn’t much of a surprise. Even so, I’m urging you to give this movie a chance. It’s not the best movie of 2007, but it’s a sweet and enduring film with a terrific soundtrack.
Rating: 9.5/10
