(Movie Review) Masterpieces that pierce the heart. "Once"

I happened to find it,
chose it without much thought, and when I started watching it,
I remembered that about 10 years ago, I went to see a musical based on this movie.

I ended up going on short notice to replace a friend who couldn't make it that day. Since I had zero prior information,
and because I wasn't used to watching stage plays,
I can't remember almost anything—the title, the cast, or the story.
Butthe melody of the theme song "Falling Slowly"seemed to be something I remembered, and that's how I realized it.

I shouldn't have known the lyrics back then,
but even so, listening to the performance, memories of feeling somehow sad and
having my heart tightened come back to me.

The movie title is "Once" after all,
so it feels like one of those little coincidences that happen sometimes.

This is also the song that won an Academy Award.

Listening to it again, the melody is beautiful,
and I like the way the male vocalist sings.
His passionate singing feels like it pierces right through the heart.

The movie was released in 2007.
A local man working as a street musician and a Czech immigrant woman meet on the streets of Dublin.
It's a story about them jamming with guitar and piano, hitting it off, and expanding their musical activities.
(I'm bad with geography, so I looked it up,
Dublin is the capital of Ireland, isn't it.)

It's interesting that the names of almost all the characters, not just the leads, are never mentioned.
(The end credits also list them as guy, girl, etc.)
And the two leads, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová,
had been making music as a duo called The Swell Season even before filming the movie,
and they reportedly composed and performed all the original songs for the film.

It was a low-budget film, and although it was only shown in two theaters at first,
its reputation spread through word of mouth, and it eventually expanded to 140 theaters, achieving success.

By the way, there's also a connection in that the director, John Carney, was an early bassist for the Irish rock band (The Frames) led by Glen Hansard.
(Speaking of director John Carney, the 2013 American music film "Begin Again" was also a big hit thanks to word of mouth. I like that work too.)

I'll keep the details of the story hidden,
but despite being a short work, it has detailed depictions of human relationships, and I liked it very much.
The meaning of the Czech words "Miluju tebe" that the woman says,
isn't revealed in the film, so I looked it up, and that was also lovely.

And above all, the songs in the film.
The aforementioned theme song "Falling Slowly" is the first song the two leads jammed on after meeting.
There are also serious songs performed in a recording studio,
a scene where the man jokingly explains his heartbreak through a song,
and including the songs interspersed throughout, everything is good.

Is it because of that rustic and simple feel that it conveys itself so powerfully and directly to the listener?
Even after watching the movie, I've been listening to a few of my favorite tracks on loop.

I'd like to conclude by posting those links.
(This is a side note. A video of the two leads jamming again at the end of 2024 has also been uploaded.
It has a slightly more mellow feel than when the movie was released, and that was also great!)

"When Your Mind’s Made Up"
This is the serious song from the first take of the recording.

"If You Want Me"
This one features the woman on lead vocals.