Review: ONCE

Once is that rare film that reminds you how effectively moving a simple narrative can be. I was charmed by the first few minutes, depicting a street singer (Glen Hansard) chasing down the bum who stole his money and guitar case. But I wasn't prepared for the depth of fascination I felt once our guy meets an immigrant girl (Marketa Irglova) who wants to know more about his music. She is insistent, asking probing questions he just isn't prepared to answer. He eventually admits he's a Hoover repairman by day. She is delighted; her vacuum is broken! When they meet the next day, what begins as lunch turns into an extended discussion about their passion for music and our guy discovers he has found a kindred spirit.

She takes him to a music store where the owner lets her play piano. It was at this point my fascination unexpectedly turned to joy. As he begins to play one of his original songs on guitar, she joins in, first on the piano, then gracefully adding harmony to his lyrics. Together, the tentative song finds footing as they each more confidently release their talent, gaining momentum (and volume), riffing and finding that perfect balance. How do you describe the magic of watching a modest song become full-bodied piece of art? I'm sure I don't know. All I know is this moment is transcendent, perfectly capturing a process and an experience, without bells and whistles, still leaving you transfixed. And in that moment of creation, they fall in love. It isn't declared, but the fact of it exists for the rest of the film, influencing their music and continually bringing the two together. I am reminded of Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore's recent foray into songwriting in Music and Lyrics, a film I liked, but which pales in comparison to the simple truth expressed in this film. Music in Lyrics needed a lot of plot and jokes and quirks in order to get those characters together and have them write a song. In Once, two regular people who love music come together in the most basic way and drive the narrative, just by being honest to the material.

It was not surprising to learn that both the lead actors are actually musicians in real life. Glen Hansard is the lead singer of The Frames, a U.K. band that at one time also included writer/director John Carney. Marketa Irglova is only 19, originally from Czechoslovakia (whose language she speaks in the film), and has great talent as a singer and songwriter. She and Hansard wrote most of the material for the film themselves. You would think that their lack of acting experience would be apparent, given that they have to "spontaneously" write and create music in the film, but it never feels rehearsed. Each musical moment feels completely organic, as if it was serendipitiously captured by a traveling documentary crew. The jam and recording sessions look like they actually could have been lifted directly from a low-budget documentary about small-time musicians, which makes the acting and writing all the more impressive for seeming absolutely real.

Hansard and Irglova do an excellent job of making these characters ordinary, and yet still fascinating. Our Guy (neither lead character has a name, they are Guy and Girl in the credits) is wary when answering questions, but completely open when he sings. Just watch the way his face lights up and his body language changes when he realizes how amazing this woman is. Hansard imbues him with a noble vulnerability, even in the face of embarrassment. And Marketa Irglova plays her Girl as a woman who knows herself. She may not always know what direction her life is going, but she knows who she is and what choices she has to make. Her character is bold, unafraid to ask imposing and personal questions, and unwilling to let our Guy fall back and remain a street performer. He may be the creative thrust behind the music, but she is the force that inspires change, even acts as producer and bargains the budget. She is truly remarkable.

The film doesn't provide a cheap and easy solution. These are complicated people, both nursing bruised hearts. But we feel the magic that happens between them and we witness the effects of their passion for music. I suppose your enjoyment of the film largely depends on whether you like their style. But I think most will find it hard to deny the inherent enchantment that falls over this film when they sit down to create.