Once
Rated: R
Runtime: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Directed by: John Carney
Starring:
Glen Hansard - Guy
Markéta Irglová - Girl
Once is a musical that doesn't want to be a musical. All the aspects of your standard musical: people randomly bursting into song, elaborate dance numbers, a deluge of songs so that you're going to be forced to buy that double-album as the only way to slake the tunes playing on a constant loop in your head, are not present in Once. The film almost wants to do away with being a work of fiction as most of shots are steady-cam, use natural lighting, and even flashbacks appear in the form of viewed home movies. But Once is a musical as the two main characters express their thoughts, hopes, heartaches, and desires through their songs. But they play these songs as naturally as possible as the lead male Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová build together an album as street-musician Glen hopes for a music contract which will allow him to win over the woman he lost.
Writer/Director John Carney wants to find the realness of the music and his cinéma vérité style can't help but add to the project. There a simple scene of Irglová listening to the latest track on her walkman and slowly falling into the deep and sorrowful tones till the line between music and soul overwhelms and the rest of the world just falls away.
I don't know music. But I think if I understood the science of the art, I'd find an even more rewarding film. Or maybe not. A lot of the film isn't tweaking and testing but rather just letting the music take on a life of its own and seduce others to the beauty of pure songs. Songs beyond market-research, beyond trends, beyond all the non-sense is just a musician singing his or her heart out and crafting a tale is all that matters.
Since Hansard & Irglová preciously collaborated to make The Swell Season which features most of the songs in the film, Once exists as a kind of historical docu-drama-musical. But such labels are ridiculous when you find yourself won over by their rich, folk style and hearty vocals. Ultimately, the thread-bare plot and standard tales of unrequited love serve as simply the backdrop for the lovely music to take the stage. I don't know if Once is a must-see movie but it's certainly a must-hear soundtrack.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
4.30.07