Once
Tags: inspiring, romantic, sentimental, realism, home movie

Plot synopsis:
An unnamed, thirty-something Dublin busker (listed in the credits as "Guy", played by Glen Hansard) sings and plays guitar on Grafton Street, a Dublin shopping district. He struggles with the trials of performing on the street, including chasing after a heroin addict (Darren Healy) who attempts to steal his earnings. Lured by his music, an unnamed young Czech immigrant flower seller (listed in the credits as "Girl", played by Markéta Irglová) approaches him and, despite his annoyance, persists in questioning him about his songs. Delighted to learn that he also repairs vacuum cleaners in his father's shop, she insists that he fix her broken cleaner.The next day she brings her Hoover by and parlays it into lunch together, whereupon she piques his interest by telling him that she is a musician, too. He asks to hear her play, so they visit a music store where she regularly plays piano. After teaching her one of his songs ("Falling Slowly"), which she quickly learns to play, they sing and play the song together, kindling a musical and potentially romantic connection. He invites her and her ailing vacuum back to his father's shop, and on the bus home musically answers her question as to what his songs are about: a long-time girlfriend who cheated on him, then left ("Broken-Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy").At the shop, he repairs her vacuum and she meets his father (Bill Hodnett), who seems indifferent to his son's musical talent. The Guy takes the Girl up to his room, but when he asks her to stay the night, she is offended and leaves. The next day, he apologizes and they quickly patch things up, as over the course of a week they excitedly write, rehearse, and record songs, and get to know each other. Songs continue to be performed in a real-world, diegetic fashion, often in their entirety, as when the Girl rehearses her lyrics for one of the Guy's songs (which she titles "If You Want Me"), singing to herself while walking down the street, or when at a party, people perform impromptu (including "Gold", performed by a trio featuring guitarist Hansard singing harmony).Their flirtation continues, but at the same time, he is thinking about and writing about ("Lies") his ex-girlfriend (Marcella Plunkett), who moved to London. The Girl encourages him to move there, win his girlfriend back, and pursue his musical career. Invited home to dinner by the Girl, the Guy discovers that she has a toddler (Kate Haugh) and lives with her mother (Danuse Ktrestova). He soon decides that it is time to move to London, but he wants to make a high-quality demo of his songs to take with him and asks the Girl to record it with him. She takes the lead as they secure a loan -- from a bank where the loan officer (Sean Miller) is a musical hobbyist -- and reserve time at a professional studio.On a romantic motorbike jaunt aboard his father's 1966 6T Triumph Thunderbird, she reveals, much to his consternation, that she is married, though her estranged husband is back in the Czech Republic. When Guy asks if she still loves her husband, she answers in Czech, "Miluju tebe",[7] but coyly declines to translate. Although the translation is not included in the movie, in Czech language it means "It is you I love."After recruiting a trio of musicians (Gerard Hendrick, Alaistair Foley, Hugh Walsh), they rehearse, then go into the studio to record. Their lack of experience shows, but they quickly impress the jaded studio engineer Eamon (Geoff Minogue) once they begin recording their first song ("When Your Mind's Made Up"). On a break in the wee hours of the morning, the Girl finds a piano in an empty studio and finally plays the Guy one of her own compositions ("The Hill"), which tells of romantic frustration. She breaks down before finishing the song and he responds by asking her to come with him to London, but is not prepared for the reality of her mother coming along to help with the baby.Still, he is smitten. After the all-night session wraps up successfully, they walk home. Before they part ways, the Girl reveals that she spoke to her husband and he is coming to live with her in Dublin. The Guy asks her to spend his last night in Dublin with him; she says that it would only result in "hanky-panky", which is a "bad idea", but after the Guy's pestering, she ultimately agrees to come over. In the end, she stands him up and he cannot find her to say goodbye before his flight. He plays the demo for his father, who, moved and impressed, gives him money to help him get settled in London. Before leaving for the airport, the Guy buys the Girl a piano (a Petrof) and makes arrangements for its delivery, then calls his ex-girlfriend, who is pleased about his imminent arrival. The Girl's husband (Senan Haugh) moves to Dublin and they reunite.

Review: From the Sundance film guide: "A Dublin busker, who ekes out a living playing guitar and repairing vacuum cleaners for his dad's shop, meets a young Czech immigrant who sells roses on the same street.
Approached by girl, an immigrant, who loves his songs, understands the pain that gave them life, and soon they are in a music shop with the girl playing the piano and together they prove that art isn't produced from big budgets or green lit by ten vice presidents and that seventeen days and a pittance can make me get goose bumps just trying to write a review of what I saw in a dark theater with ten other people in a complex dominated by Shrek, Pirates, and Spiderman.I knew a woman once who only read novels about unrequited love.
In all generations, love sought, found, lost, and sometimes regained is the stuff that brings us to the theater, to the book, to the movie.I'm in the midst of reading a book by an Irishman, a detective novel, the hero a reader, and the author uses the book to list books he likes: from one...'the body moves on, the mind stays and circles the events of the past.' This must be true of the writer/director.You won't forget these people.
We should all meet, my movie loving friends, and talk about this movie in a bar in Chicago I know that has great music on the jukebox, cold cold beer, and is dark enough so we would all look good.
Writer/Director, John Carney, removes all convention from the movie musical and creates a film that reads like a well-written love song about two musicians falling in love with each other and the music they create together.In the early 90's, Carney left his rock group, The Frames, to pursue a career in film-making.
It was a gorgeous straightforward film about two people meeting at a certain time in their lives.I read a quote recently about someone who'd seen the movie and came out wanting to hug everyone they met - and I totally agree.
(And please understand, I generally hate musicals, but this one works!) Irglova and Hansard are perfect for the roles, the camera work is magnificent, and the total experience gives one hope for the future of film.
But that doesn't stop them for creating a wonderful piece of music which will stay with them forever.John Carney has directed and written a brilliant film which tags at your heart and makes your feet dance all at the same time.
These people know nothing about recording, but they've got good material and the initially skeptical engineer winds up acknowledging that they've made a beautiful thing.Once's transitions are a little awkward sometimes and its images aren't fancy, but the story moves you without having any sentimental payoffs.
At the end of the day we both really liked this movie, not too sentimental and the music which is written and performed by the two main characters is excellent.
I don't know the guy whatsoever but this is about the film which is worth seeing.I'd seen Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova live in Christchurch cathedral in Dublin which in itself was pretty different.
This entire film is shot with hand-held camera, many times subversively, (for instance when our lead Guy and Girl go to a diner for lunch, the camera stays outside looking in, but you can tell the sound is coming from within by tape recorder as the background noise is very noticeable).
Let's say you're watching a movie and you are loving it and at the end you cheer and tell yourself that "this was an awesome movie!" and then you realize, as the credits are rolling, that the 2 main characters are just called "guy" and "girl"--their names are never mentioned the whole movie!
Glen Hansard (singer of the Frames) does a great job of playing the heart-broken street busker/vacuum repair-man who pours his pain out in his music.
Once:A movie that really is hard to put into words, but demonstrates that you don't need a multi- million dollar budget, A-list Hollywood actors/directors and special effects to make an incredible film.
It does what any good movie should do, tells a story honestly and drops the viewer right into the action so as to feel you're there and care about what's happening.In this case it's the story of a young man and woman who wound't otherwise have anything in common other than she has a busted vacuum and he works at a vacuum repair shop, or so it seems, until you discover that these two ordinary poor people actually have the same passion for writing and playing music, neither having the capacity to do so in the way they would like.
Enter a woman who hasn't been able to outlet her own musical creativity due to a young child and failing marriage and you get an explosion of musical and romantic creativity.John Carney's film is really an album on screen, and I have to mention that it is the music that drives the picture, but it's not a musical in the vain of people randomly breaking into song that drives normal people crazy (because no one ever does that in REAL LIFE) but he shows you where GREAT music really comes from and how it's created.
Never once are you thinking 'Oh great there breaking into song again' because not only is the music incredible (mostly written by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova) but it's given real time and they don't cut songs short but let you listen as if you were there in the store, studio, apartment, bus or wherever.
The movie just has so many perfect little scenes and touches like the banker who wants to play them a song of his own when they ask for a loan, or the scene when they finally get to record and it's abundantly clear that no one knows what they're doing.
Carney avoids the horribly overwrought sexploitation of male/female relationships in modern film and actually respects these two characters enough to end the movie right, with the viewer walking away just like the two smitten musicians...wanting more of their music and of each other..
Like that film, there's not much to the story, but it's substantial nonetheless (especially emotionally) and it plays out unpredictably and true to life rather than following movie formula.It is, however, both of these things simultaneously, the two aspects not just seamlessly integrated but, in fact, one and the same.It's really pretty miraculous: a movie that moved me to tears and made me dance in my seat.
It's one of those gift of a films that sucks you completely into its world while watching it, and even as the credits begin to roll, you don't want to get up to leave it.Even on the drive home, I was constantly replaying all the best scenes in my head, which is basically the entire movie.
Unlike the patterns of most "indie" genre attempted films in Hollywood these days, the emotions are not forced upon the script and pressed on the audience, it is a simple but sweet tale in which all the beauty of is perfectly captured on film, accompanied by one of the best and most well-fit soundtracks that I have ever heard.This film stands out among all others, and is one of the best if not THE best film I have seen in all my life as a movie-lover.
The leading characters are gentle people who happen to sing as well as act and the love story they create is a fragile little tale that remains in the air as a nice memory after the credits are past.A Dublin busker (Glen Hansard) is a songwriter and singer who plies his music on the streets when his is not helping his warmly generous father (Bill Hodnett) in his vacuum repair shop: his songs reflect a ruptured love affair and are sensitively poignant.
The mood of the extemporaneous feeling piece is one of developing love that can only happen once, especially given the histories of each of the two musicians.Writer/director John Carney demonstrates how a simple story can be made into a touching film for under $150,000.
This realistic tone along with the moving performances of both lead actors make the audience relate to the characters and their own personal struggles.What I liked the most about the film was the musical score.
Even if you don't like this type of movies you will love the musical score and performances by both the lead actors.
Went in not knowing much beyond the acclaim it received at Sundance -- and left seeing that the praise was well deserved.Done for less than 200k on a 17 day shooting schedule, with musicians taking actor roles AND putting out a wonderful soundtrack, and I tell you everything about to clicked for me.The movie lacked the pretension and predictability that follows light-hearted romantic attempts, the ending was well done, and lacked the general silliness that (I think) hurts most modern attempts at musicals -- and it does so by using well placed music to tell most of the story, and letting the dialog (which is also well written) accent it.Will you leave this movie with a life-changing experience?
Of course not, and the hype surrounding this movie is a pity because nothing ever lives up to the expectations once that train leaves the station -- but if you enjoy movies you will leave the theater thinking you just saw a fine example of what happens when you filter out the big budgets, the egos, and the studios, and just let a fine writer/director and his cast deliver a very enjoyable film..
But as they compose their songs, a love story begins to develop.Before we get to the main reason this movie is so amazing, let's look at the characters.
This entire movie is beautiful in its ways of being natural, from a story so simple to the undeniably improvised chemistry and appeal of the leading characters, played wonderfully and effortlessly by Hansard and Irglova.
Like they purposely hand-held the camera with a bit of shake, because using a tripod would be "Hollywood" and that wouldn't be right for an awesome Indie Film, such as this one...Also, the dialog was bad, and the constant "F" word was very, very taxing.Maintaining their "Indie Theme", they went for music which was very "organic".
In fact, there were many artificial touches in this movie, but they were well masked.I also resent the kind of praise that thinks a movie is great because it is "like life" rather than like a movie, but again, I've got to admit this movie did a pretty good job of getting to that point.And, again in spite of myself, I think this movie was very good largely BECAUSE it tapped in to one of the most important things on the minds of most people in "my" "generation"--pop music--sappy and infantile as it all is--in a way no other movie I have seen has managed to do.Good job, movie!.
The writing and acting were not great and I found nothing enjoyable in it.Music lovers unite, you have most likely found a wonderful film, but for those expecting more, beware of the melodic front.
The story simply goes from one number to the next while uncovering facts about the characters that guide their fate.It's been sixteen years since his memorable turn as guitarist Outspan Foster in Alan Parker's "The Commitments", but Glen Hansard, lead singer of the Irish rock group, the Frames, plays the forlorn busker with a searching intensity befitting a man not only broken-hearted from a fading long-distance relationship but also worried he will end up repairing vacuum cleaners just like his stoic father.
But I digress..."Once" is a simple, but lovely film about a week in the lives of a busker (the charismatic Glen Hansard) and a Czech immigrant (Markéta Irglová, who was only 17 when the movie was made) - as they get to know each other and decide to make some music together.
John Carney's movie is nothing more than a musical variation of the "brief encounter" sub-genre, but the great soundtrack - composed and interpreted by Hansard and Irglová themselves - and the charm of Dublin make it special.
I waited until last week, March 2011, to see it, but I have now fallen madly in love with everything about it, right down to the musicians who aren't expected to act as well as these two did.The movie is about an Irish busker who meets a girl from the Czech Rep. and they discover each other's talent for music, as they begin to write songs together.
As they write these songs, we discover a wider understanding of how their relationship differs from so many other clichéd movies.You look at the cover, and the first thing you think is a couple who meet and bond over music, and eventually strike up a sexual relationship.
In countless movies such as the likes of the recent "Country Strong", the movies use the musical part of it to waltz their way into the twisted love of so many of the characters, making the music become very secondary.I'll tell you this much, if you're a Jason Mraz, Joshua Radin, Mumford & Sons kind of person, then this is the film for you, for sure..
and I was so wrong spending my hard earned money on this flick.Movie seems like a long, low-budget music video, with songs that you must listen in their full entirety - and several times over!!
That is to say, Once is a very low budget film that has it strength in the general charm and sweetness but it is not, to my mind, a fantastic film and certainly its inclusion on IMDb's top 250 just further serves to take away any remaining relevance I give to that list.Narratively the film is simple as it mostly trades on the songs and characters, with the love story very much unspoken and on the edges of the picture all the time.
Carney's direction of his script is solid; OK it is all very shaky and low-budget but it fits the material while also being admirable for making the film despite the challenges.Overall then, this is a charming little modern love story that is refreshingly natural and free of sentiment.
It is not perfect and it won't knock you off your feet in the way that many reviews may lead you to believe but it is certainly a lovely little film that is warm, musical and charming..
Set in Dublin, tells the story of a "guy" (Irish singer Glen Hansard) stuck in everyday routine in his family business who escapes from it by playing by nights in the streets of Dublin, and a "girl" (Czech musician Markéta Irglová) who struggles with everyday life like an immigrant in Ireland, yet has a talented gift for Piano music.
Together, they'll be connected through their art, and realize how music changes the way they see each other, their own lives and the dreams -big or small- they want to accomplish.Once is an honest, simple, but amazing film.
Shot with two digital cameras and with a budget lower than 100000 euros, the direction is powerful yet soft, and goes perfect with the story: close-up shots combined with other general views of the city, with a shivered touch that makes it more interesting, familiar and intimate, as well as in the scenes where the family life of the girl is shown.A movie full of music, rhythm and romance, that yet has that powerful and calmed silence that makes it more interesting.
Third, would be the guy creating a new guitar song, while watching home movies of his ex- love, for inspiration.
For them the story is so unimportant that they just enjoyed the music and moved on with their lives (as we often do with films).But I feel that those are totally missing the point.
But I found the background story of music much more meaningful and touching than just "background".The writer and director John Carney chose to not name the main characters and they are called The Guy and The Girl.
They are just like every one of us, guys and girls who know what it's like to experience love as a miss, but finding a person who right on time for "this kind of a period".This film stayed with me for long, not just because of the power of music in this film, but because it's really touching every one of us when we can relate to a certain period of life, when we need someone to make a change and believe.
I'm a 14, and I watch comedies and if I enjoyed a romantic, yet sad movie, you will definitely enjoy it.I rate this a definite 10 out of 10 due to it's music and filming.
i can honestly say I'm not big on musical-ish films..But this is bar none the best i've ever seen.watch the first 10 minutes, give it a shot, you'll fall in love like i did..
I think parts of the movie seemed like a long music video, but I didn't mind because there was so much emotion in the songs that there was not much need for a lot of dialogue.
I think the music combined with a simple yet relateable story really makes this film special and definitely worth watching.
It has all been done much better numerous times.Glen Hansard sings his way through the film and I personally enjoy his music very much.
The acting was without a doubt above and beyond, there was this sense that I wasn't watching a movie but rather that somewhere some guy with a camera was following these people around filming their lives.
The first few minutes of the film Once tell the whole story and have humour and music and the possibility of love between Glen Hansard (Frames singer) playing the busker and the also unnamed Czech girl played by Marketa Irglov.