Once

One of the many things we're deprived of here in Riyadh is having the pleasure of going to a cinema to watch a movie. Yes, there are no cinemas here. We get our fix from either buying pirated DVDs or asking a friend to download them for us. Or we watch whatever the movie channels on cable TV brings us. The movies are usually 3 years old, or older, and some are those really low-budget ones like Legacy. But sometimes, I get lucky and catch that rare gem of an indie film that I otherwise wouldn't have found on my own.

Once (2006) is about a Guy (Glen Hansard), a Dublin street musician who sings about heartbreak, after his girlfriend leaves him to live in London, for extra money, and a Girl (Marketa Irglova), who sells roses on the street and stops to listen to Guy playing his music. She is drawn to his songs and proceeds to question him about them despite his annoyance. Girl also finds out that Guy fixes vacuum cleaners in his father's shop and the following day, she brings in her old Hoover to have it repaired.

Girl then reveals that she has a classical piano background and also writes her own songs which leads Guy to ask to listen to her play. So they visit the music store where Girl regularly plays the piano. He teaches her one of his songs, Falling Slowly, and they sing and play it together.

Their music brings them together and Girl begins to help the Guy realize his dream of becoming a recording artist. Over the course of a week, they get to know each other better as they write and rehearse songs. Then they form a small band with three other musicians and, with money that Girl loans from a bank, they reserve time at a professional recording studio for an all-night session to make a high-quality demo tape. It's at this time, during a lull in their recording, that Girl finally plays one of her own compositions and breaks down before it ends.

The film is simple and honest and will leave you with a bittersweet feeling in its wake. You won't be able to forget the characters and the beautiful music will stay with you for a long time. I urge you to find a copy for yourself and watch it if you haven't yet. You won't regret it.

Mood Music: The Hill by Marketa Irglova