June 28, 2007
Once
A simple, yet beautiful, love story about the power of music and its ability to bring people together.
Starring: Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová
Rating: 10/10
Directed By: John Carney
Runtime: 85 minutes
Starring: Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová
Rating: 10/10
Directed By: John Carney
Runtime: 85 minutes
It has been a while since I've written a review for the site and I feel the biggest reason for my writer's block (besides laziness) is my lack of enthusiasm for the films that I've spent time with over the last few months. Among the over 50 films I've seen since my last review, only two have brought me back to my keyboard (The Namesake and 28 Weeks Later) only to see my laziness and some really good television pull me away again. With Once, however, I feel an overwhelming need to tell the world about one of THE most moving experiences I have ever had watching a film.
Once, like its title, is simple yet elegant. It tells the story of two people (Hansard and Irglova) and one week in which they meet and fall in love. Coming out of Sundance earlier this year on a wave of good buzz (it won the Audience Award), Once was positioned as a musical but if you go in looking for the next Dreamgirls, you will be sorely disappointed. Once is a musical in so far as it contains music but Once has more in common with films like Robert Altman's Nashville or Craig Brewer's Hustle & Flow. It's a film in which the music is integral but is not responsible for driving the action of the plot. Whereas characters in a musical express all of their emotions and ideas deliberately through song, the characters in Once write and perform songs that mirror their own feelings. It's a film that exists very much in the real world and for that reason carries much more emotional weight than your average musical.
It's difficult for me to review Once. Difficult because it is such a small and intentionally simple little film. Difficult because so much of its success will depend upon how much you enjoy the music. Mainly, though, it's difficult for me to review this film because I left Once unsure of why I was so affected by it. A friend recently asked my take on the film and I told him that 5 minutes into the movie I felt like crying and that sensation stayed with me for the remaining 80.
A funny aside that goes a long way toward explaining the impact this film has on its audience. As I walked out to my car following the film, I became conscious of the fact that my wife had not said one word concerning the film which is very unusual for her after a movie. Since I couldn't explain my own reaction to the film, I thought her perceived indifference was understandable. I decided to break the silence with a quick comment about the film and to my utter surprise, she began sobbing uncontrollably. Once is that type of movie. One that moves you, entertains you and, ultimately, changes the way you watch films.
Once, like its title, is simple yet elegant. It tells the story of two people (Hansard and Irglova) and one week in which they meet and fall in love. Coming out of Sundance earlier this year on a wave of good buzz (it won the Audience Award), Once was positioned as a musical but if you go in looking for the next Dreamgirls, you will be sorely disappointed. Once is a musical in so far as it contains music but Once has more in common with films like Robert Altman's Nashville or Craig Brewer's Hustle & Flow. It's a film in which the music is integral but is not responsible for driving the action of the plot. Whereas characters in a musical express all of their emotions and ideas deliberately through song, the characters in Once write and perform songs that mirror their own feelings. It's a film that exists very much in the real world and for that reason carries much more emotional weight than your average musical. It's difficult for me to review Once. Difficult because it is such a small and intentionally simple little film. Difficult because so much of its success will depend upon how much you enjoy the music. Mainly, though, it's difficult for me to review this film because I left Once unsure of why I was so affected by it. A friend recently asked my take on the film and I told him that 5 minutes into the movie I felt like crying and that sensation stayed with me for the remaining 80.
A funny aside that goes a long way toward explaining the impact this film has on its audience. As I walked out to my car following the film, I became conscious of the fact that my wife had not said one word concerning the film which is very unusual for her after a movie. Since I couldn't explain my own reaction to the film, I thought her perceived indifference was understandable. I decided to break the silence with a quick comment about the film and to my utter surprise, she began sobbing uncontrollably. Once is that type of movie. One that moves you, entertains you and, ultimately, changes the way you watch films.