Finally, I saw Once.

So there's not really a lot to spoil in this movie, but I do give away the ending if you don't want to know. If that's the case, I thought it was a really beautiful, quiet film, the music is gorgeous, but the pace can be sometimes slow so just be aware of that going in. It works well for it, especially in developing their relationship, but yeah... sometimes for the viewer its still slow going. There, now you don't have to read the review I just worked an hour on. ;)




Whaaaaat? You hadn't seen Once yet?

I know, I know.

For those of you who haven't heard of Once, I can assure you that when it came out in 2007 it was HUGE. It was all I heard about. I don't really have a reason for having not seen it until now - it just never happened. But earlier this week I was wandering around our library - to which I have recently reacquainted myself with - and I was surprised to see the title there so I thought Why not? 

Once is a modern-day musical with the songs developing naturally within the storyline (as the two main characters are musicians) and they handle this so well. I can see how people who avoid musicals could fall in love with it since the music intertwines with the plot and characters so perfectly. In fact, the more I go back and think on it and the more I listen to the music afterward (because you will), the lyrics to so many of songs fit all the relationships involved. But not in a way that's generic or bland - the lyrics are just really deft.
Take the lyrics to (certainly) its most popular song "Falling Slowly":

Take this sinking boat & point it home, we've still got time/ raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice/ you've made it known....

This, to me, sums up the entire movie. 

While these lyrics are certainly (and often) attributed to the feelings between the Guy & the Girl - they were written before they met. These lyrics were originally intended for the Guy &, um, Former Girl and they certainly sync with both relationships. It's really beautiful how skillfully (and subtly) the entire movie is handled but how well the lyrics mash up with all three relationships involved. Those lyrics also apply to Girl & Former Guy.
Subtle is a great word here.  Once is a very quiet movie - in tone, in action, in character, in plot etc. With the exception of "Say It To Me Now" (which I loooove) your leads are very quiet characters.

Interesting note: usually whenever stories refuse to give their characters names - especially in movies - it tends to really bother me because it sticks out so much. It always seems obvious, heavy handed, as in 'hey, we're really trying to say something here' and it gets frustrating. Surprisingly here, I didn't even notice until after it was over and I was reading a review that mentioned it. Simply labeled 'Guy' & 'Girl' in this story, it's never over the top, never reaching. It truly manages to come across as a documentary peeking in on these two lives as they happen to intersect at this particular moment in time and it does that dead on.

This movie is just beautiful - not necessarily a lot happens, and it can certainly feel slow - but by the end of it you somehow feel like you just witnessed something precious and tender. Their relationship develops quickly, but doesn't feel forced. (These are fantastic actors for these roles.) The ending really sealed the deal for me, but its probably in how I interpreted it, because you could certainly interpret it in several ways and have evidence to prove your point. For me, this was less about unrequited love and more about healing. I didn't feel like Guy & Girl ended up in loveless relationships, but I guess you never really know that. Partially, I just didn't want them to, but I also feel like the hopeful twinge at the end of the movie implies the idea that they had an incredible week, would forever have an amazing bond, but made their choices elsewise and were still content. I feel like this week was a catharsis for them, finally through each other being able to heal again and move past the hurt and re-evaluate themselves. 
Ultimately, this movie is all about choices. Girl chooses to leave Former Guy. Guy chooses to leave Former Girl. Girl & Guy meet and have to choose how to handle their bond and where it goes from there.

Also, quite frankly, I loved that there were boundaries in this film. There are so many films that explore the sexual nature of relationships, and that's fine, but this one very bluntly said no and that created so much more interest. It also helped to really develop the sweetness & trust between them. It was just really refreshing to actually see them carry that throughout their relationship.
"I'm sorry, I screwed up. I'm lonely, you're gorgeous and I promise it'll never happen again."

Also, I really liked the Broken Hearted Hoover-Fixer Sucker Guy song. :)

Once isn't perfect - again, not a lot really happens. While the songs are gorgeous sometimes they feel a little longer than they should be and that can start to wear on you, especially since there's so little actual action in between. Also, its really hard to understand Girl's Czech, especially at first. Towards the end I started debating if I had actually liked it, but before the credits were rolling I had decided I did. The more I mused on it later the more all of its aspects melded in my mind and its just really well done. I should watch it again because I'd probably love it more knowing more the pace I was getting into.

Just so you know ahead of time, this movie is rated R for really strong language, but that's the only reason. (Also, so that you know in case kiddos are around.)

If you haven't heard "Falling Slowly" you should, so I'm posting it here if you're interested. It did win the Oscar for Best Song, and I'm glad, not only because of how crucial it was to the film but because of gorgeous it is.