For lovers, good music lovers and good film lovers

Rating: 9/10 (10 July 2007)

A very simple, but roughly elegant and charismatic story of a poor busker in Dublin striving to make it in the UK folk/rock music biz, and of his short but very sweet interlude with a musically talented eastern European immigrant girl who helps him with his music but also has her own musical vision. His vision is different and much more ambitious, whereas hers is more familial, personal and introspective. Even though they differed greatly in their need for and of artistic expression, sensitive and unselfish gratitude was shown on both sides for the help they gave each other on the way.
Great Frames music throughout, as the soulfulness and pain of love is expressed so tenderly and sensitively, but with great power, by the impressive lead singer of The Frames, Glen Hansard. In real life, The Frames fly well under the huge radar of that "other" Irish group U2, but it also has its own charisma working well here in Hansard's music. Just excellent songwriting and singing in a perfect blending of Hansard's talents. I was very impressed with him and enjoyed the story and his music immensely(bought the soundtrack).
From our typical expectations at film's end, it just proves so well how much Hollywood has influenced us about romantic movie endings as we all wanted the two leads to get together at the end. Life is not Hollywood, and thank heaven for that. As a result, it was a much more realistic story.
My best 3 films of the year so far in this order....Waitress, Ratatoille, and Once. All 9's and 10's, and far above anything else; see all of them for a real treat.