This is one of those smilers. It makes you smile with its charm. It makes you smile with its warmth. It makes you smile with its honesty. It's an indie musical, but not in the typical sense of what people think of when they think of musicals. The film is filled with songs from start to finish, but they flow from one to the other in a natural progression as buskers perform to songwriters compose to a band records. Along the way a guy meets a girl and a natural romance blooms.
In a very existential touch, the lead male is simply named guy (Glen Hansard, THE COMMITMENTS), a street performer who works as a vacuum cleaner repairman at a shop owned by his father (Bill Hodnett) during the day. One evening, a girl (Markéta Irglová) compliments his work, wondering why he only plays his original songs at night. He says no one wants to listen to songs they do not know during the day and he has to make a living. Discovering his side trade, the girl brings her vacuum to the guy and they begin to hang out. She plays the piano and they discover they have a great deal in common, developing a simple connection. The problem is the guy still pines over a lost girl and the girl has secrets of her own that prevent her from fully opening her heart to him.
Powered by Hansard's soulful singer-songwriter tunes, the story simply moves along a week's time as the guy and girl grow closer, which allows them to move forward in their lives. The girl is full of life and brings the guy out of his funk, motivating him to finish some songs and set up a recording session. The love story is so simple, but so very honest. So many romance stories labor their whole length to make the viewer desire that the couple comes together; ONCE does so effortlessly. If you don't believe in soul mates, this film might be able to convert you.
Hansard and Irglová are the members of the Irish folk band The Frames. Before this film I had never heard of them and now I will not forget them. So many musicals suffer from weak songs that feel like filler. ONCE moves from one great, heartfelt tune after another. Moreover, the songs allow us to peek into the inner feelings of the two main characters. Director/writer John Carney must have worked closely with his lead actors, which brings an intimacy to the entire production, because everyone feels truly invested in the story.
ONCE has been a darling of critics ever since its debut at the Sundance Film Festival earlier in the year. It has had a lasting effect on viewers because they have fallen in love with it too.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
