Once

So another movie has come across my path that has just really moved me. And yet again this movie is rated R which is just how things are sometimes, in this case it's totally for language which while it's not exactly a good thing, really isn't that noticeable in this particular case. The movie is called Once and it stars Glen Hansard (of the Frames) and Markéta Irglová. Basically Glen's character is a street musician who had his heart broken by a woman sometime before. Marketa plays a young woman who becomes very interested in Glen's music and the two start to become friends, eventually uncovering a mutual interest in writing and performing music. What I found profoundly beautiful and romantic is that they (and this next part is kind of a spoiler) are really spurring each other beyond their respective heartaches (she has split up from her husband and moved to Dublin from the Czech Republic) to try to find love again, but not with each other, rather with those who have broken their hearts.

Early on Glen's character (I call him that because neither one of them is given a name in the film which is interesting in itself) mistakes her initial interest for romance and makes a pass at her but she rejects him. He quickly realizes that she is actually interested in being his friend and he feels the same. They never connect physically, they don't even so much as kiss, and yet you feel such a great sense of affection and love between them.

I loved this film because it showed something about love that is lost in film today, namely that love is best when it is pure and unimpeded by selfish ambition. And that's what these two have, a pure love, even though it doesn't end with them together but rather seeking to renew their lost relationships.

One moment stands out above all others for me though and it's early in the film when the two enter a music store and Glen shares a song he wrote while Marketa joins him on the piano. This is truly one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. I bought the soundtrack about an hour after watching the film and it is great. Here's the YouTube video from the movie.