Once is More Than Enough

May 16th, 2007 in Indie, Movies, Reviews

Ireland: we are a small nation, but a proud one. We’ve produced a lot of great art over the decades, with the possible exception of the realm of music, where Bono’s gigantic head has obscured any past achievements. Film too is a difficult medium to excel in with such little funds available, but that hasn’t stopped us from trying. The micro-budget film Once is an indie-rock musical set in Dublin, has made an impact on the crowds at this year’s Sundance festival, winning one of its many awards. It has received rave reviews in Ireland, but as it sets out for a limited release in the USA, does it live up to its expectations?

The plot is rather thin, but it goes something like this: Boy busks on street, singing songs about failed relationship. (Foreign) Girl likes music, ends up playing songs about failed relationships along with Boy. Boy and Girl gather money to record music, wowing those around them with their sweet sounds. Both Boy and Girl are hung-up on failed relationships, unsure of whether to get together.

Boy is played by Glen Hansard, lead singer of Irish rock group The Frames. They are a strange band, in that they sell out some of Ireland’s largest venues, but barely fill pubs abroad. Their music is a sort of rootsy guitar rock with a hint of US alternative music groups such as The Pixies. Hansard did appear in The Commitments, but is really known for his strong vocals. Thus, his acting is more natural than striking, and his singing more genuine than polished. His co-star, Marketa Irglova, has never acted before, and together they provide a rawness never seen in conventional musicals.

Breaking conventions is something this film strives to achieve. The music is low-fi, the performances are more improvised than staged. And there’s the romance. Rather than toy with a will-they-won’t-they scenario that results in the Big Kiss, Once keeps its distance, hinting at attraction (maybe more than hinting for those who understand Czech) but never allowing itself to grace the clichés of modern romance. Of course, the problem with this is that by avoiding that, the film ends with very little happening at all.

The film’s fatal flaw exists elsewhere. For in its attempt to avoid musical clichés, there is gross neglect in terms of innovation throughout the rest of the plot. In fact, it downright slides into clichés. The worst is the self-gratifying attitude the film holds for its own music. The worst culprit is the scene in which the newly assembled band head into the recording studio. They are met with a contemptuous recordist, who is too busy with his newspaper to be concerned with yet another aspiring Irish band. Yet once the music begins, he drops his paper, turns off his phone, and practically blurts out a “wow” at how amazing the music is, befriending the band through their musical genius. Sorry guys, but your music isn’t that original (in fact, it’s highly derivative), and if you were that good, you wouldn’t be playing grotty basements in American towns.

Ultimately, your liking of Once is going to depend on your musical taste. While Hansard’s voice may initially impress due to its force, the songs are very similar and rather bland. And outside of the music, the film is far too understated to appreciate. Once is not postmodern love, a musical In the Mood for Love, but rather a film lost in limbo, rebelling from its genre’s rules but finding few alternatives to invest in.

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