Once DVD Review

In acknowledgement of Valentine’s Day, I wanted to point out a little gem from last year that may have slipped under your radar—the film Once.

It’s a little sleepy film that would probably have gone unnoticed save for its amazing musical score and talented actors, coupled with a heart-wrenching storyline that is the epitome of a modern-day romance.

The film is writer/director John Carney’s debut and focuses on a handful of days in the lives of two musicians. One is a talented, nameless Irish street performer (Glen Hansard, front man for Irish rock band The Frames) and the other is a beautiful, hard working and nameless Czech girl (Marketa Irglova).

For those hesitant to delve into a “musical” take note that the film is a brief 85 minutes long but packs a lot into those few minutes. Perhaps the centerpiece of the film is the music, which often tells a story and serves to move the plot along as well as entertain and move the audience with beautiful melodies and heartfelt lyrics.
With a backdrop about artistic ambitions and hopes and dreams, Once is a bittersweet love story with no resolution or pat ending, which is probably what I like the most, as Hollywood did not reach in and make everything end happily ever after, making the film feel all the more real and true to life.

The DVD is presented in an anamorphic widescreen transfer of its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, and the sound is in Dolby 2.0 stereo, with an optional Spanish Dolby 2.0 stereo track, as well as optional English, French and Spanish subtitles.

Since the film is so short, it’s worth it to stick around for the extras, which include a commentary track with Carney, Hansford and Irglova; a song-specific “musical” commentary; the 13-minute featurette “Making a Modern Day Musical”, which takes viewers behind the scenes; and the 10-minute “More Guy, More Girl”, which provides more information on the main characters.

Once is a diamond in the rough, a little gem that shines brightly in an otherwise dull landscape of reality television and action flicks. Don’t let the fact that it’s a musical put you off, because if you can get past that, it’s more of a modern day love story (in the vein of the musical Rent), with plenty of great songs that will make you want to run out and buy the soundtrack, if not the DVD itself.