How you gonna make some time
When all you have is one thin dime
And one thin dime won't even shine your shoes--Drifters

Life can turn on a dime if you’re watching, but sometimes a Hoover vacuum sweeper can help the turn, especially in a non-traditional musical…

Once upon a time in the streets of Dublin a passionate young street musician sang his heart out every night until the night a beautiful young woman rewarded his performance with a dime and later asked for his services on her Hoover vacuum sweeper. The passionate young musician spent his days working with his father in their vacuum sweeper repair shop. But every night he was transformed into a talented singer songwriter.

One day a beautiful young Czech woman showed an interest in this man’s original songs of heartbreak. While she attempted to get his attention through her need for sweeper repair work it wasn’t until she pulled him into a piano store and he heard her play Mendelssohn that he really looked at her. Her music touched him in unanticipated ways. Now we’re in the midst of a modern day musical, one that does not break out in song and dance every time you blink, nor is there saccharine romance.

Once begins with Guy (Glen Hansard) playing songs in the day that the public wants to hear, that the public recognizes. In the evening when all the shops are closed he performs his own music with all of his heart, even when there’s no one around to hear. This catches her attention and she throws a dime into the hat, but later she asks why he doesn’t play his music during the day.

One thing leads to another and she has him agreeing to repair her sweeper.

Once from director John Carney, is a musical that stars two real-life musicians, Markéta Irglová, a high school-aged Czech pianist, and Glen Hansard, a lead singer and songwriter for an Irish rock band. The two develop a relationship but it never evolves into a romantic relationship (although there are moments where it tries). They are both dealing with personal issues, he with the woman who left him and she with the husband who lives back home. But together they inspire new music and a CD. They surprise a number of people, including his dad.

Markéta Irglová does provide a stellar performance when she attempts to sing her original piece and her pain is so moving. The touching scene that follows is about as close to a romance as we get, but you have to love the reality. You also have to love the car test.

John Carney’s Once is a low budget film, it shows, it lacks bells and whistles, it’s a little rough around the edges, but that probably helps the movie. He sings for money on the street when he’s not helping his dad in the vacuum repair business. She sells flowers on the street, works as a maid and lives with her mother and her young son. Neither has an easy life, but they both recognize the need to create an album of their music. Their music tells their tales of hardship and reality. Neither were actors, in fact they were stiff and obviously novice performers, but they were both quite convincing in this movie—probably because of the music. She sings with sweetness and he sings, in contrast with an almost painful, raw emotion. The combination is a blend of raw emotion and power.

When Eamon (Geoff Minogue), the recording technician, changes his mind about this bunch of f’ng oddballs I wanted to cheer. You know he has heard all of the wanna-be’s and odd groups that know they can make a recording. There is an epiphany for him, as well as for the viewers “Wow, It’s nice, Did you write that?”, and at that point it was obvious to me they had won my heart.

Set in Dublin this small independent movie was completed in less than 20 days for less than $200,000. There are no love scenes, but instead a lot of heartbreak and love songs. This hidden gem caught my eye thanks to a message and recommendation from Netflix. The story takes place over a week with Guy committed to moving to London to be with his girlfriend. During this time they reserve a recording studio, assemble a band (other street musicians), perform and then depart. Watch this with the subtitles on, it makes it easier to follow with the accents.

Once won an Oscar for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures--Original Song (Falling Slowly), but it was nominated for best Foreign Independent Film by the British Independent Film Award in 2007. The song has won numerous awards since being released but I doubt it has reached the status of mainstream.

The movie happens because of two unnamed performances, Guy and the Girl (Hansard and Irglová), because of the minimal budget and simple script, and because of the performers’ passion for their music. The creativity of these two performers, their shared passion for the music, and the blending of their talents made this movie. The honest relationship that formed as a result of the movie royally enhanced my movie experience.

This satisfied in many ways. The story was charming, the performance was real, and it was an unpredictable and unusual contemporary musical. I found myself wishing them nothing but the best, whatever they choose. The ending is not what you hope for, but it’s what should happen in keeping with the reality of this delightful movie. After watching a few too many disturbing movies, this WAS a wonderful change of pace and it was a well-done independent film.

I’m relatively movie deprived and what few movies I watch these days tend to be mainstream, popular, new releases, and recommendations from friends. (That’s not the way it has always been.) My watching an independent movie is rare. My movie-watching time is minimal and I end up selecting popular films that I’ve missed. Watching this independent was a treat and if this is what’s happening in indie films, I will be watching more. I loved the overplay at the end with the beautiful surprise.





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The majority of the music was written by Glen Hansard with two by Markéta Irglová and two shared. One was written by Mendelssohn.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older