Well what do you know, a new post. I am still alive…
It's difficult to know where to start with this film. After watching it I'm left thoughtful, reflective, melancholy.
Once is a very low budget Irish film that's roughly a year old, starring Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, both unknown to me but I gather they're somewhat well known in Europe. It's filmed as though it's an off-the-cuff documentary, except it's not. It has an almost grainy look, mostly single camera perspective, as if you're standing next to them. It's filled with great songs that are both written and performed by the Glen and Markéta. Okay, that's enough of the technical stuff.
This is a boy meets girl movie except in this case he's almost 20 years older than she is, but that's not specifically mentioned in the movie. It's about a new and growing friendship sparked by music, their own compositions. Sparked by a passion for music. You follow them as they put songs together and really connect, almost falling in love, except he's still in love with his old girlfriend, and she's separated. It's complicated. It's life. But the music, the one thing that drives them and draws them to each other, simplifies the complexities in life, for a wonderful albeit brief, period of time.
Of course being a musician, having nearly uncontrollable at times passions, having lived and loved, this movie touches me in every place i can be touched. It reminds me of a past life or two, all just a few years past. The songs are deep, and emotional, and melancholy (yes, I've used that all-too-appropriate word twice now). They're songs I find I could have written, expressing feelings I could have expressed. It makes me wonder, simply, 'why?'. I found myself almost jealous of the culminating weekend. I digress.
You don't need to be a musician, a writer, to get inside this movie. We've all lived some parts of it. It's a marvelous film. Do yourself a favor and watch it. Just be prepared to look back and wonder, 'why?'.
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