Once

A month ago I saw Once, because I was intrigued by the idea of a heartfelt modern ‘musical’ acted by real musicians. Ninety minutes later, my tears said it all.

Once was showing at the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton. A beautiful picture house, it was originally built in 1910, refurbished in 1954, closed in 1976, re-opened in ’78 and finally refurbished and extended in 1994. It reminded me a lot of my favourite cinema haunt back home, the Duke of York’s in Brighton. Indeed, both are part of the PictureHouse chain and are maintained with a philosophy sadly lacking in most commercial ventures these days. It’s cinemas like these that make watching films like Once such a pleasure.

It’s a simple enough story: In Dublin, a Guy who lives with his dad and works in his hoover repair shop, tries to make ends meet by busking in the city. By day he plays popular cover songs that bring in the tourist Euros, by night he sings his own compositions that earn him nothing. He encounters Girl, an immigrant Czech, herself struggling with everyday life. She too is a musician, a pianist and the un-named couple develop a beautiful friendship by writing and performing music together, and revealing to each other, through their songs, their past lives and hopes for the future.

This is a story of love, performed honestly and beautifully by two genuine musicians. But it’s also so much more. It’s a story of how one person can change the course of your life, however briefly you know them. It’s a story about the healing power of music. It’s about the importance of friends. For me though, ultimately this is a story about remembering to listen to your heart, even when you’ve forgotten how to hear.

The most amazing aspect of the film is the stunning soundtrack, written and performed by the two leads: Guy (Glen Hansard, of The Frames) and Girl (Markéta Irglová). I don’t think I have ever seen anything quite so genuine on screen for years*, and if you fail to be moved by their performances, you honestly have a heart of stone.

I’ve managed to get hold of MP3s of the soundtrack, and it’s as beautiful as I remember, so I’ll be ordering the CD soon – I’m still old school and don’t do store-bought downloads. I’m just grateful I saw this film as it not only reaffirmed my love of old cinemas, great music and beautiful films, it introduced me to new musical talent that will be listened to for a long time to come.

*At the time of watching Once I did not know that the two leads were a couple. Little wonder then that the emotion felt so real.