Irish film 'Once' wins at Sundance

maquiladora

Described by The Chicago Tribune as the best music film of any type in a generation, the low-budget, low-key Irish film 'Once' by writer-director John Carney and featuring Glen Hansard (of The Frames) and Czech musician Marketa Irglova has won the World Cinema Audience Award at this years Sundance Film Festival.

The film will be distributed in Ireland in March by Buena Vista and Summit Entertrainment have now bought the worldwide distribution rights.

Congratulations to everyone involved!

www.oncethemovie.com

A Dublin busker, who ekes out a living playing guitar and repairing vacuum cleaners for his dad's shop, meets a young Czech immigrant who sells roses on the same street. She likes his song, and what's more…she has a broken vacuum cleaner! They soon find themselves playing music together in a nearby music store (since she can't afford a piano, the owner lets her play his floor models). Over the course of a week, they form a musical rapport and, newly inspired, decide to record an album.

Once may loosely be classified as a musical, but it has a refreshing vérité inflection. Conceived by director John Carney as a "video album," it sports a scrappy, unembellished naturalism. Carney took a risk in choosing professional musicians over professional actors, but Glen Hansard (of the well-known Irish band the Frames) and Marketa Irglova (a Czech singer/songwriter) are not only remarkably charming together but they're equally adept with the more melancholy shades (Hansard's lonely soul, stuck on an old flame; Irglova struggling to support a mother and daughter). Burdened and brokenhearted, their musical bond is the heart of the film and of their love.

Great music aside, what makes this film special is how little effort it seems to exert. If it's possible to be blindsided by simplicity--a light touch, Once does it.— John Nein

Vokes

What is it about?

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SofaKing wrote:

What is it about?

Updated my post with the capsule from the Sundance website.

http://festival.sundance.org/filmguide/popup.aspx?film=3333

monkeyfudge

From looking at the trailer it doesn't look terribly impressive.

Is it supposed to be Dogme 95 film, or does it just have poor lighting?

lodgepole

Glen Hansard definitely has some acting chops... I've often wondered what kind of a career he may have had if he had capitalised on that side of The Commitment's success.

Film looks pretty interesting, some of the photography is very nice. I'll go to see it.

Panda

anyone seen it?

monkeyfudge

Panda wrote:

anyone seen it?

I think it's only really been shown at Sundance. It should be picked up for general release now that it's won at the festival though.

And it should be one of the films at the upcoming Dublin Film Festival.

maquiladora

The Hollywood Reporter trade magazine review of ONCE :

Described by Irish director John Carney as an "art house musical," "Once" was one of the unheralded small films that took people by surprise and became a sleeper hit at the Sundance Film Festival, winning the World Audience Award. The story of a street musician and an immigrant girl who connect and then disconnect, the film has enormous charm and zero pretense. It deserves to find a home in theaters, where it should win over an indie audience with its likable characters and terrific music. At press time, "Once" was on the verge of being picked up.

Carney, who started out as bass player in the Irish band the Frames and became a filmmaker, had long been thinking about how to stage a modern musical. His solution was to make his main character a street musician (known as a busker in Ireland) and the heroine a Chechnyan immigrant who plays the piano, and have their relationship be expressed by the music they make together.

For the guy (the characters are never named), Carney had the good fortune to recruit Glen Hansard, the redheaded, charismatic lead singer of the Frames. For the girl, he found a beautiful Czech musician named Marketa Irglova, who was only 18 when shooting started. Hansard and Irglova already were friends and had made an album together, and they both get to the emotional truth of their parts with a naturalness that more seasoned performers rarely capture.

He's struggling to make a living singing on the street, and she sells roses to passersby to support her mother and young child. Struck by this guy singing his heart out, she starts a conversation and takes him to a music shop where she practices at lunchtime. As they run through a song titled "Falling Slowly," a soaring lament for wounded lovers, the camera films them separately and then together in the same frame, and it's clear that their musical bond is struck.
Hansard's character is talented, funny and tormented by the woman he has lost, while Irglova still is wondering what to do about the husband she left back home. It is impossible not to root for these appealing people to get together, but it might be the wrong time and place for them.

In the tradition of movie musicals, he wants to record some songs for a demo and recruits a motley crew of street musicians and rents studio space for a weekend. After the session, he plans to take off for London to try to win back his girlfriend, despite the growing attraction for his new friend.

The set-up of the film allows for wall-to-wall music. The tunes, most of them written by Hansard, are powerfully performed with a Gaelic directness in a folk-rock vein. As the songs come together in the studio, the music and their feelings build to a climax that is achingly real. In a Hollywood film, there is no doubt that they would wind up together. Here the maturity of the filmmaking allows for the possibility of disappointment. The accomplishment of the film is that it's just as satisfying.

Although made quickly and cheaply (the film was financed by the Irish Film Board), "Once" has an appropriately rough-hewn look, the visual equivalent of a talented garage band. Lensing by Tim Fleming on Dublin location captures the spirit of a town that is booming around characters who don't quite fit in. But their indomitable spirit comes through loud and clear in this lovely film.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?&rid=8716

monkeyfudge

Well I'm willing to give it a try and I've already got my ticket for it's screening in the Dublin Film Festival.

Miguel_Sanchez

For some reason the Dublin screening is being touted as the Irish premiere despite the fact that it was screened last summer in the Galway Film Fleadh.

I'd be interested in seeing it but I don't know if I could look at Glen Hansard on screen for an hour and a half.

supernic

I saw it last night (i have contacts at the irish film board, ooooo) and it is wonderful, really unique and special. the music is fabulous, the script witty, the leads perfect and the film itself is so natural and simple. can't wait to see it on the big screen! i'm not a frames fan, in fact i've only been in ireland for 4 months, but i will definitely start listening!

i posted a review in the film review section as well.

so definitely go and see this film, it's gorgeous!!!!!!!!! do it.

maquiladora

Fox Searchlight (Little Miss Sunshine, 28 Days Later, Sideways etc.) had now bought the North American distribution rights for 'Once'.

LOS ANGELES, CA February 2, 2007 – Fox Searchlight Pictures Chief Operating Officer Nancy Utley announced today that the company has acquired from Summit Entertainment the Northern American rights to the Irish musical ONCE, the sleeper hit which took the World Cinema Audience Award at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Written and directed by John Carney, ONCE stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. The film is produced by Martina Niland and executive produced by David Collins. The film is scheduled to be released in 2007. Summit Entertainment is handling international sales and distribution.

Said Fox Searchlight Pictures COO Nancy Utley, “‘Once’ swept the entire Searchlight team off its feet. From acquisitions to production to marketing, distribution and music, we passionately wanted to be part of ‘Once’. The film is so beautiful and haunting, it’s unforgettable. We couldn’t be more thrilled.”

“On behalf of filmmakers and Summit, we are absolutely thrilled by Fox Searchlight’s love and passion for this movie,” said Patrick Wachsberger, Summit’s President and CEO, “we think this unique film has found the perfect home.”

http://www.moviecitynews.com/Notepad/2007/070202_pr.htm

monkeyfudge

Well I went to see it this evening and I enjoyed it a lot.

It's a wonderfully simple film that avoids all the clichés that we're used to.

Hansard does a great job and I particularly liked Markéta Irglová's performance as I've had a Czech girlfriend in the past and it was amusing to watch all the same mannerisms.

My main complaint would be Hansards music... one or two of his songs are nice, but after a while the songs all get a bit samey and they're pretty whiney sounding. The film would have benefited greatly from having more of Markéta's songs in it instead. But maybe that's really just down to my own personal musical tastes.

The director and producers were on hand after the screening this evening for a Q&A which was interesting.... they were hoping to have Hansard along to play a few songs, but he missed his plane apparently... ha... they didn't need to tell us that though as it seemed like a bit of a tease.

maquiladora

monkeyfudge wrote:

Well I went to see it this evening and I enjoyed it a lot.

It's a wonderfully simple film that avoids all the clichés that we're used to.

Good to hear - and I'm glad you still gave it a chance after being not impressed with the trailer. I've still yet to see it myself, but I'm looking forward to it.
Do you think it will go down well on general release or does it have more of an arthouse appeal?

supernic

it is true that the music can grate at times, although i didn't think it was necessarily because the songs were same-ish (even though some of them are, i liked them anyway) but just because some of them are really a bit too long, and they use the same one a couple of times which is a pet hate of mine, especially when it's played as a focal point from beginning to end rather than just a reminder of a moment that occured earlier (does that make sense? it did in my head...). i agree there could have been more of Markéta Irglová's music, i was very intrigued by her...

monkeyfudge

maquiladora wrote:

Do you think it will go down well on general release or does it have more of an arthouse appeal?

It does seem to strike a cord that I think almost any person should be able to relate to, so I'd hate to think it would only appeal to an art house crowd... there was certainly a pretty damn pretentious bunch at the screening last night though.

I don't know if it's being marketed correctly or not... but I think word of mouth will do a great service to this film.