Written and directed by John Carney, Once is the story of two people who meet, fall in love, and make beautiful music together.
He is a Dublin street musician moonlighting as a vacuum repairman, she is an immigrant who plays piano and harmonizes beautifully. He shares with her his dream of bringing his music to London and she agrees to help him.
Glen Hansard is the guy.
Markéta Irglová is the girl.
As their collaboration grows, their songs tell their story. The chemistry between them is palpable and drives the emotional core of the film. We watch them as they perform together inside a small music store and the performance is breathtaking.
Once features a collection of amazing songs, written and performed by the two stars, rendered with sparse production, highlighting the soul of the material.
Together they create something magical that will last forever, the sort of thing that only happens once.