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Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova. Romantic musical drama. Written & directed by John Carney.

FILM SYNOPSIS: Struggling with life’s obstructions, an Irish vacuum repairman who yearns to sell his music and an Eastern immigrant meet and find their love of music draws them into a romantic relationship.

PREVIEW REVIEW: I have a great deal of positive to assert concerning this film, but allow me to get the negative stated first. The film has a limited budget feel, with an unsteady camera movement throughout that drives this reviewer crazy. This particular camera gimmick started out in the action/adventure genre then spread throughout the industry as if filmmakers had found the Utopian way of shooting pictures. It’s supposed to give a scene movement, energy. It should however, be used sparingly. Like the abundant use of obscenity in a screenwriter’s pallet, this use of moving camera has lost its originality and only serves to say the artist is limited in his abilities. As for obscenity, the f-word is used throughout this film. Evidently, the Irish poor use it even more than Americans. It’s excessive, though I’ll grant it does reveal the characters’ inner frustrations in this film. The other dialogue is crisp, involving and helps give full dimension to the people on screen.

Okay, here’s what I liked about this film. It is a musical, but both the main characters are musicians and the music doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s part of their lives as they find themselves creating music together. As for the music itself, it’s not hummable like the score of My Fair Lady or The Sound of Music, but it is extremely soulful. The male lead sings from his gut, not his throat. And what are they singing about? Not politics – yea! (Used to love Nora Jones until she decided to set us all straight concerning how we are governed.) Both sing about life and how the loves of their lives have affected them. It’s still the most powerful emotion that can be set to music - unrequited love. Anybody remember Sinatra’s One For My Baby? Or his Angel Eyes? That’s what they’re singing about here.

Here’s another positive about this film. It’s not about going to bed together. They don’t do that here. Like Bill Murray’s Lost in Translation, Once is about two people connecting. Lonely, the man does make the suggestion after only one day with the girl, but she makes it clear that’s not going to happen. She’s already made that mistake, leading to childbirth. Though she adores her little girl and is a responsible mother, she has no intention of having another out of wedlock. And she is concerned about the little one having a father.

The man is sensitive to others. When he catches himself using some raunchy language in front of a lady, he apologizes. Both have positive relationships with their parents. Indeed, these are good people.

Lastly, there’s the film’s ending. It is exceptional. A bit melancholy, but very moving. This is a film that will draw attention come Oscar time.

Distributor: Fox Searchlight