The first
snow has finally come and actually I should be outside on a slope somewhere
like anybody else. But, since I’m not the person for adventurous ski trips, I
decided to grab a movie and enjoy the wintery weather on my comfy couch. The
movie I picked was one that I had watched for the first time in 2007, when it
had been released. I am talking about Once,
a music film, which is one of the films I never get tired of watching.
Once is an Irish film and was written and directed
by the Irish movie maker John Carney. Before starting to produce films, Carney
played the bass guitar in the Irish Rock/Indie-Rock band The Frames. There Carney also knew the main protagonist of Once, Glen Hansard, who had never really
worked as an actor before, from. Actually Carney only wanted his old friend and
band colleague to compose the songs for his movie. The main character should
have been played by a ‘real’ actor. But, the actor pulled out, giving the
reason that he didn’t have the vocal capabilities for Hansard’s octave-leaping
songs. With him went the film’s other producers and with them the money for the
project. The only option was to produce it on a low budget. Furthermore,
Hansard had to be persuaded to play the role himself, which isn’t the worst
thing that could have happened because I’m sure that no one else would’ve been
able to sing his songs like he did.
The female
main character, which, like the male main protagonist, is never mentioned by
name during the whole movie, was also played by a non-actress. They are only
referred to as Guy and Girl. The Girl, Markéta Irglová, is a Czech singer and songwriter who
started to play the piano and the guitar at an early age.
I’ve told
you so much about the background of the movie that now it’s time to say
something about its plot, which isn’t a very knotty one. Hansard plays a
broken-hearted guy, who has been left by the love of his life, as he calls her.
Now he lives in Dublin, repairing hoovers in his father’s shop, and singing out
his soul, accompanied on his scabby guitar, on Grafton Street to earn a bit of
extra money. One day he meets Her in
Dublin’s busiest shopping street. While trying to sell her roses to passers-by,
which she has to do to keep her mother and infant daughter alive, Hansard’s
music catches her attention. She
immediately notices that someone who writes such songs must be an emotional
wreck.
Sort of a
friendship develops between the two of them. They share their passion for
music, have deep conversations and forget about their everyday struggles when
they’re together. He asks her to release an album. They find some weird, but
kind-hearted guys who’d join them, and that’s when work begins. During their
weekend in the studio He and She laugh together, tears are floating
and you can see in their facial expressions that both of them would love to
make time stand still. As a spectator you can nearly feel the vibes between
them. Despite this, he has made the decision to go to London and recapture the
woman who had broken his heart. She
does not say anything about it, but anyone can see her heart is breaking.
She and her husband, who is living in Czech Republic, have made the decision to work on their marriage again. He does not say anything about it, but anyone can see his heart is breaking.
She and her husband, who is living in Czech Republic, have made the decision to work on their marriage again. He does not say anything about it, but anyone can see his heart is breaking.
The end of
the movie leaves the spectator with many questions. I won’t tell you how
exactly it ends, you have to find out yourself (believe me, you won’t regret
it!). But there’s one thing I can tell you. What I expected was a typical,
predictable Hollywood-like ending. It’s not like that. Once ends in a way real life works, which is also one of the
reasons this film counts to my favourites. It’s natural, and unlike many
Hollywood movies it doesn’t make your life seem cheerless.
Many thanks for your review.
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