Once

MPAA Rating

Reason

Running Time

Distributor

Theatrical Release date

R

Lnguage 

99 minutes

Fox Searchlight Pictures

May 16, 2007 (limited)
June 15, 2007 (wide)

   The first thing that this movie reminds me of is the 2005 film “Before Sunset” in which two people converse after spending nine years apart. The main characters of “Once” and the movie itself is kind of like that; instead of politics, though, they take about music. The film is set in Ireland, and tells the week-long friendship of a boy (Glen Hansard) and a girl (Markéta Irglovâ) and their love for music. I’m not kidding, those are really their character names. The boy plays and writes song on his guitar, and works at his father’s shop where they fix vacuum cleaners. The boy and the girl are from different cultures: he’s originally from Ireland, and she’s from the Czech Republic. They are both in a relationship, although it is implied that mutual attraction grows over the course of a week.
    The movie is both a drama and a musical. It works as both; as a drama, the scenes are edited together with grace and the characters are greatly developed; as a musical, it has more heart and emotion than some of the year’s recent big-budgeted musicals. Each musical number tells a certain story: the boy writes songs regarding the relationship of his ex-girlfriend (Marcella Plunkett) and how he felt of her betrayal; the girl has written a few songs that regard her relationship with her husband (Senan Haugh), who is still living in Czech.
    I first saw this over summer and instantly fell in love with it. This is the kind of movie that a sequel could be made, one in which would give an update on the characters themselves if there was ever a reunion, because they are so real. Still, even with a limited theatrical, it didn’t receive much attention (I thought it would’ve gotten a boost when Spielberg praised it for giving him “inspiration”.) Yes, it’s an inspirational movie about what people can do if they follow their dreams and put their heart and soul into something they love doing. For that reason alone, I’m inspired by it.



 

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