"Once"

Starring Glan Hansard and Marketa Irglova, “Once” is the story of an Irish street musician and vacuum repairman, and a Czechoslovakian flower-saleswoman. She hears him playing his beat-up guitar outside a shop, and they begin a lasting friendship. They play together a little, her on the piano and him on guitar, while both sing, and eventually record a demo album. The acting was brilliant, although neither Glen nor Marketa had ever acted before. The music is amazing. The cinematography is very limited due to the sub-$200,000 budget. Considering this film was made in Ireland, it is no surprise that there is a massive amount of language. All in all, “Once” is a beautiful, well-made, funny and inspiring film. **** 3/4

Too bad they won’t be making “Twice”.