I jumped at the chance to see Dublin-set Once, hoping that it would paint a pretty picture of the Irish city that I felt had disenchanted me as a visitor. The critics’ reviews were glowing; even Mr. Spielberg had an endorsement on the poster. Alas, much like my travels, I was somewhat underwhelmed.
The film turns out to be a sweet rendition of unrequited love. In fact, it’s more innocent than that. It’s about two kindred spirits who find solace in each other before they part as quickly as they met. It’s unique in the respect that there is no sex or snogging, just genuine friendship and appreciation of each other’s talents. So far, so good.
Sadly, this great idea is squandered by a visual style that looks like the film was made for a tenner that the director found under his bar stool. If you don’t have much money then a good story will usually suffice, but the digital camerawork in this thing is uniformly shoddy. The camera wobbles all over the place and the sets aren’t lit properly. A crane shot sticks out like a sore thumb – they must have forked out for that one. If this was the style they were going for, it looks bad.
The music isn’t to everyone’s taste either. If I had my way, singer-songwriters, troubadours, and minstrels would join together and remove themselves to the far side of the galaxy. Just like those Spanish prats at youth hostels who bring their out-of-tune guitars down to the lobby and irritate everyone else with their renditions of sensitive love songs. It’s a bit painful.
Luckily, lead Glen Hansard has a likeable screen presence, and he carries the film with his Oirish charms. It certainly breaks your heart to meet these two great friends who share the same passions but will never take things further. Once is one for the romantics. It’s scruffy but sweet. And… kind of underwhelming.
