Once is a 2006 Irish musical film written and directed by John Carney.
Set in Dublin, this naturalistic drama stars musicians Glen Hansard (of
popular Irish rock band The Frames) and Markéta Irglová as struggling
musicians. Collaborators prior to making the film, Hansard and Irglová
composed and performed all of the original songs in the movie.
Shot for only €130,000 (US$160,000),the film was successful, earning
substantial per-screen box office averages in the United States.[4] It
received enthusiastic reviews[5][6] and awards such as the 2007 Independent
Spirit Award for best foreign film. Hansard and Irglová's song "Falling Slowly"
received a 2007 Academy Award for Best Original Song and the soundtrack as a whole
also received a Grammy nomination.
Once spent years in development with the Irish Film Board. It was during a period
where the film board had no chief executive (for about 6 months) that the film was
given the go-ahead by a lower level executive on the proviso that the producers
could make it on a budget of approximately 150,000 euros and not the initial higher
budget.
Plot
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").
Once stars Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová
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 insulted 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 entitles "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 to a house set in Mountjoy Square, 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 bank 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 what she said. In the 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 and
makes arrangements for its delivery, then calls his ex-girlfriend, who is happy about his
imminent arrival. The Girl's husband (Senan Haugh) moves to Dublin and they reunite.
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