Once

Recently, I saw the movie ‘Once’ and I have to confess it is one of the best movies I have ever seen. It is an unusual love story of a guy and an immigrant girl from Czech Republic.

The plot is set in Dublin. The movie has a certain flow to it. A poor, immigrant, pianist girl likes the songs of a street guitarist. They get to talking and he wants to hear her play. What follows is a beautiful series of songs that they write, compose and record in the upcoming week.

These songs tell us a story. They slowly unravel their own love lives while simultaneously give us the feeling that he is falling for her and she is in love with him.

There is one scene in movie where the guy asks the girl whether she loves her husband. She replies to him in Czech, “No. I love you.” The guy doesn’t understand a word of what she says and even in the movie, we don’t have any translation for that dialogue. The subject ends there. There is this unusual kind of unspoken love that has starting to flourish between them and we can feel that.

But the other factors in their lives make their coming together impossible or to the very least, cumbersome. Deep down, both of them know this fact.

The ending of the movie is what makes this movie great. It couldn’t have been any better. I am not giving up the ending here, but it makes sense. I found the ending moving. It tells us no matter what, life goes on! 

I also liked the sound tracks, especially the song ‘Falling Slowly’. As Marketa Irglova said in her Oscar acceptance speech about this song, ‘This song is written to give hope!’    

The optimism fills the movie. We have to cherish the moments when we are with the people whom we love/like. It also has an underlying sad tone that the time we have got is finite. But the optimistic side ensures us that finite time is enough!

The interplay of the deepest human emotions that has been captured through songs makes this movie amazing! I am glad I came across this movie.