The best film I have seen this decade

Rating: 10/10 (21 May 2008)

I had wanted to see this film for weeks since I first saw it in the local video store and finally had a chance to watch it. It is a very simple film that breaks almost every Hollywood convention. It is shot on DV cameras and the editing is simple, some shots are longer than five minutes in length, but what makes this film incredible is the passion and emotion that drives the story. A guy meets a girl and they make some songs, some really great songs, and eventually record them. It is a simple enough premise but Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova bring an enormous amount of power to the film - not with their acting ability (neither of them have ever acted before) but with their musicianship. This is a film that anybody with a dream should see. It will inspire, uplift and encourage, and it is quite simply the best film I have seen in the last ten years. I have watched it over and over and I don't want to return it to the video store because it is too good to let go of.