Reviewed by Janina Conboye
Stars Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova, Hugh Walsh,
Gerry Hendrick, Alastair Foley, Geoff Minogue,
Leslie Murphy, Catherine Hansard
Produced by Martina Niland
Certification UK 15 | US R | Ireland 15A
Runtime 85 minutes
Written and directed by John Carney
I was sitting for about half an hour trying to think of something to write about this film, and despite rave reviews and its so-called inspiration, I’m afraid words are somewhat failing me. I found Once boring and, as far as romance goes, inspiring it was not. I have a strange feeling of guilt, as the film seems to be widely admired; I can see its charm and I feel I should like it too, but I just don’t. For want of a better word, it just lacks “oomph”.
Once is essentially a modern musical that uses a number of songs to tell a very modern and simple story. It is the tale of two people (Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova) who stumble across each other on the bustling streets of Dublin. One is a street musician who lacks the confidence to play his own songs. The other is a Latvian mother trying to find her way in a strange new town. As their relationship develops they discover each other’s talents and the story revolves around them pushing each other to achieve their dreams. The small advantage the film does have is that it is unpredictable and veers away from the typical “guy gets girl” scenario. But what is disappointing is that in some ways the characters seem to lack courage. They are passionate about music and supposedly fall in love, but they don’t pursue it. Eventually they both decide to go back to previous relationships that in real terms are irreversibly broken down, and given a second chance are likely to fail again.
Perhaps I’m just too much of a pessimist, but why turn your back on the chance of being truly happy and go back to something that ultimately made you unhappy? Or perhaps I’m just too much of a hopeless and typical romantic? Love and music combined can rock your soul, but this movie falls flat. The actors are good and obviously have superb musical talent, but on this occasion it just does not get to the soul. Some songs you like, some songs you don’t, and I found the songs in this film dull and repetitive. On other hand, my plus one really enjoyed it.