The story begins with Guy (played by Glen Hansard), a busker in Dublin grappling with lack of success in both romance and his career. In the past, he had a partner and a recording deal, but now he lacks both motivation and a clear direction in life. Emotionally, he is adrift and, financially, he is struggling. He spends his days repairing vacuum cleaners and, in the evenings, performs a haunting solo melody steeped in sadness about love lost.
One day, Guy meets Girl (Markéta Irglová), a Czech immigrant who is a part time house cleaner. She approaches him in order to have a conversation, which indicates that she is captivated by his music. While they have barely introduced themselves, there is an aura of familiarity. Girl is battling her own brand of solitude, which involves working hard to help her young daughter in the Czech Republic.
Once they start connecting, there comes a moment when Girl sees Guy’s guitar and piano. Instead of letting those instruments sit in silence, she urges him to play them and gives his music the nurturing it deserves. They begin ad hoc to build out a spontaneous song writing duet; Guy’s poignant lyrics blend seamlessly with Girl’s gentle melodies. Recorded music, studio space and instruments are all put together in bits and pieces, grudgingly financed in part by Girl’s determination and kindness even though she herself is on a very tight budget.
With every new song that is released, and with it comes the raw passion and bittersweet lyrics, the couple’s relationship becomes deeper. From this, several themes emerge; Love endures in absence, hope can spring from despair, and unexpected beauty can blossom. There is a deepening relationship, in spite of love’s fragility and practical life pressures, complications arise.
Guy is still tangled with his ex which allows him to hold on to the memories of the past. On the other hand, the girl is trapped in a relationship with Apartment Guy, who is more of an off-stage presence that looms. This creative bond is more of a soulful friendship rather than a traditional relationship.
As a duo, they complete the demo tape, which consists of ten tracks that serves as emblems of their emotions and profound bond. The music is raw, yet intimate and serves as a beacon of hope for the future that they both never dared to dream of. During the last scene, Guy is busking again, but this time with more self-assuredness and confidence. From across the street, Girl sees him from a distance and begins to fade into the crowd. The film ends leaving the audience with questions about whether they have changed directions or parted ways. What remains is the echo of their music, and the viewers are left to reflect on the many shapes that love can take.
Glen Hansard (Guy): As a captivating singer/songwriter and the lead performer of The Frames, Hansard infuses a role with striking mesmerism. His performance—raw, vulnerable, and unembellished—carries the weight of lived truth and deep resonance.
Markéta Irglová (Girl): Apart from being a classically trained pianist, Irglova is Hansard’s spouse in music, musically portraying the Girl character. She projects a blend of innocence, intelligence, and quiet unwavering resolve without the trappings of theatricality. She harmonizes with the emotional heft that Hansard brings.
John Carney (Director/Writer): Once marks the transition from a musician to a filmmaker for Carney. He directed the film with a focus on capturing spontaneous outpourings of song and emotional honesty. Character and song took precedence over spectacle in his vision.
The supporting cast, which included small-town acquaintances and street musicians, while offering brief glimpses of insight, humor, and realism, were sparse but starkly illuminating.
Alongside John O’Connor, the cinematographer Tom Houghton and Marco Pereira created a tapestry of bedrooms, streets, and studios, while incorporating handheld imagery. The creative team also comprised of Carla Azar on percussion, Ola Elsele on cello, turning the streets in symphonic spaces and Damien Rice provided unmatched (yet unseen) musical inspiration.Themes and Areas of Emotion
Love Without Boundaries
Once is not labeled a romantic comedy, and the relationship between Guy and Girl does not fit any romance stereotypes. It is instead portrayed as a soulful yearning. Their connection is deep, instant, empathetic, and transcends conventionally romantic frameworks, hinting at love’s potential to be poetic, spiritual, and ethereal.
Music as Connection and Salvation
Music bridges gaps such as Guy’s sorrow, Girl’s isolation, and Dublin’s despondence. Their songwriting sessions heal wounds, inspire hope, and reshape identity. The personal heartbreaks in the songs turn into vessels of emotional liberation.
Loss, Healing, and Moving Forward
Both characters carry emotional burdens: Guy experiences a romantic disappointment while Girl has an emotional attach to a child she leaves behind. Together they heal through music. The songs and companionship become tools for emotional restoration.
Ambiguity as Reality
Once defies audience anticipation for a well-defined resolution. The last scene does not contain a conclusive happy ending. Rather it depicts life after the story shaped by some experiences together, life goes on. The music continues, though the lovers have parted.
Home is Not a Place
The girl from the story is a Czech immigrant, Dublin is her temporary home. While in Dublin, their inner spaces, which include modest classrooms and rented studios, reflect a community that is chosen rather than rooted. By the end of the film, ‘home’ transforms from a geocentric notion to something emotional and musical.
Music & Songwriting
Songs are regarded as dialogues’ integral segments and music serves as the glue that holds the film together. The cultural phenomenon, “Falling Slowly,” earned an Academy Award for Best Original Song and was written and performed by Hansard and Irglová. The song’s themes of trust, risk, and letting go align with the film’s emotional motifs. Other tracks such as “If You Want Me” and “When Your Mind Is Made Up” further explore those themes: tender and deeply human.
These songs are not derivative and do not resemble soundtracks of other films. There exists a refreshing quality to these songs: they were recorded imperfectly during the night in actual living spaces, not studios. Their rawness adds to the film’s heart in combination with poignant lyrics.
Style & Cinematic Approach
Once captures extraordinary realism, achieving it with a modest budget. Shot on handheld 16 mm film, street footage, neighborhood shots, and late-night streets all feel authentic rather than cinematic sets. Close-ups capture weathered hands strumming guitars, instruments propped in cramped rooms, and moisture in eyes—the kind of sensory detail that forges a bond.
Most scenes are short and resemble snapshots: studio sessions, coffee-shop conversations, and strolls through Dublin’s streets. Dialogue is sparse, and silences speak more than words. Carney believes in the power of silence, trusting the audience will sit in stillness and ponder its echo, uncovering layers within restraint.
Impact & Legacy
Once became a global phenomenon grossing over 20 million on a shoestring budget. Critics and audiences alike were captivated by its carefully crafted simplicity and emotional authenticity. Young Carney appeared on Oprah, while Hansard worked towards solo success. Irglová released several albums and both traveled internationally to perform. The film was adapted into a Broadway show which won several Tony Awards, further expanding Carney’s reach.
The success of the film played a significant role in the rise of the global “indie-folk” genre, with artists like Of Monsters and Men, The Paper Kites, and The Lumineers following its emotional musical fingerprint.
Conclusion
Once is the antithesis of traditional storytelling: There are no grand gestures, no polished endings, no melodrama. Instead the film turns to unscripted moments, like a shared chord in a flat, a camera humming over guitars, or the quiet ascent of a song into night. It approaches love as a whisper, music as a tether, and life as a continuum.
Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, as musicians portraying fictional versions of themselves, exhibit unrestrained chemistry that intertwines tension, hope, and fragility within their music. Carney’s acclaimed debut remains a gentle yet profound inquiry: Can love truly heal without possession? Can music shine in the absence of fame? Can two fragmented souls entwine to fashion something truly whole?
Once, more than a romance, is a timeless tribute—to music and to subtlety. To hearts advancing erwards, even in the absence of assurance. It’s a film that doesn’t provide answers, but rather evokes the essence of life, longing, and the beauty of words that are sung in fragments and released into the twilight.
Once is still evocative in its gentle elegance—and captures the idea that a deeply felt bond combined with sincere emotion is the foundation of enduring art, and most beautifully, that music at its peak transforms strangers into soulmates, if only for a moment, a song, or a lifetime.
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