ONCE

I hadn't heard of this movie until the night "Falling Slowly" won an Oscar for Best Original Song. Hearing the performance was wonderful, and the song was so beautiful that it sort of haunted me until I decided to see if I could find it on DVD. I did, and I now have a new addition to my list of favorites! I am going to have to purchase this one.

The music in this film plays a major role, it's almost a character in itself. The story follows a street musician who meets a young Czech immigrant street hawker. He writes music that he only plays when the streets are mostly deserted, explaining to her that nobody would give him any money for the songs that they don't know. When she asks him why he doesn't just get a job in a shop, he tells her that he does work in a hoover shop with his father. Delighted, she tells him that her vacuum is broken and asks if she can bring it to him the next day. When she does, he tries initially to blow her off. She insists and they go off to lunch, she dragging the blue vacuum by its hose behind her like a dog on a leash. It's a quirky and completely charming moment.

At lunch, Guy finds out that Girl plays the piano and they run by a music shop so she can play for him. He ends up teaching her the song "Falling Slowly" and it's instant magic. I just have to give you the lyrics here and hope that you will go find the song and listen to it.

"I don't know you
but I want you
all the more for that.
Words fall through me
and always fool me
and I can't react.

And games that never amount to
more than their meant will
play themselves out.

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We still have time.
Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice,
you've made it now.

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
and I can't go back.
Moods that take me and erase me
and I'm painted black.

You have suffered enough and
warred with yourself
It's time that you won.

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We still have time.
Raise your hopeful voice, you had a choice,
You've made it now. (2x)

Falling slowly, sing your melody
I'll sing along. "

From here on out, you can see Guy falling for Girl. They have a tentative and never outright attraction to each other. In fact, she tells him to go get back the girl who broke his heart. She reveals that she has a daughter and an absent husband. There are many complications and responsibilities that keep them from ever having a complete relationship.

The movie takes place over a week or so time, so the anonymous pair's hesitance is perfectly real for the beginning of an acquaintance. That's another thing that makes this movie so lovely, it's very real. There isn't any high drama, only the little things that happen in life. Driven by the music, it takes a deeper look into how people express themselves through that medium. These are the most emotional moments, with every other dialog having the normalcy of every day interactions. Don't get me wrong, though, this isn't exactly a musical. There isn't any singing-dancing numbers. Instead the music just happens through the scenes. Girl writes lyrics to a song, they start recording in the studio, etc.

Both characters' lives are currently broken, they have aching hearts, and this comes through in their music. Girl is more hopeful than Guy, but she is a catalyst that motivates him. Both will never be the same. The end I will not give away, but I will say this: It doesn't deliver what you expect, which is rather refreshing. The fact that the main characters don't have names contributes to the anonymity of their lives and contrasts the intimate emotions that are expressed without any apparent intimacy on the screen. It also creates an "everyman" kind of character, chasing a dream without knowing what will happen. You can imagine anyone at that stage and it's really interesting. I didn't even notice that they didn't have names until the credits rolled. Then the lightbulb went off... what an interesting choice! Love it.

It's bare-bones, the main characters are played by musicians rather than actors, and the whole thing is perfect. It feels so natural, the plot progresses realistically, and in the end you walk away feeling like you've just spied on a week of these people's lives, a week that they will remember forever-- and so will you.