An unlikely, word-of-mouth sensation from the summer of 2007, the Irish import Once charts the musical and possibly romantic partnership between a street singer (Glen Hansard of the Irish band The Frames) and an immigrant pianist (Marketa Irglova) largely through the music they make together. It’s a unique, enthralling experience in which song and emotion stand in for dialogue and plot. The non-professional leads are irresistible – surely no one could invest the songs with as much sincerity as Hansard, considering he wrote them – while writer-director John Carney makes the most of his extremely low budget with some poignant camerawork. Altogether a rare, if rough-edged, joy.
