Once

When an Irish busker, with a heart as battered as the guitar he plays on, and a Czechoslovakian Big Issue seller meet on the streets of Dublin, they each become a catalyst in the others’ lives to set out and change the situations they seem stuck in. Struggling to make ends meet, working low paying jobs (hoover repairman and cleaner) and living either with their father in a small flat or in a block of flats sharing a single television, they each strive for better things, be it a record deal and a reunion with an old flame or a better life for their daughter. Shot on the fly with unrefined camerawork, lighting and staging adds to the realism and overall homemade effect of the film, and the nameless nature of the central couple give them a relatable every-person quality, we all have these reasons, these obstructions in our lives that prevent us from achieving our true goals, but we too can overcome them. The songs are great too, all performed by leads Glen Hansard from Irish group The Frames and Marketa Irglova.

Choose film 6/10