I saw a wonderful movie tonight, such a rare experience as to make it all the more notable. It's called "Once" -- or,at least, it used to be called "Once" -- and is a musical told in cinema verite style by a new writer-director from Ireland, John Carney. The movie tells a touchingly simple story about a street musician who meets a young woman (Marketa Irglova) from Eastern Europe on the streets of Dublin, a day worker herself. The music, mostly written by the lead actor, Glen Hansard, is a completely natural extension of the story and its dramatic flow, all the more unobtrusive for Carney's natural filming style and effective use of the ever-so-rare commodity: Silence.
The movie made a big splash at Sundance, was acquired by Fox Searchlight, is in the midst of apparently acquiring a new name, but in any event will be out on May 18. Put on the 'to see' list, most certainly. (And perhaps we'll send a copy to Julie Taymor.)
