What a stunning coincidence! Once I learned my lecture on Popper was cancelled, I headed for Mediothek to watch a film about Levinas. But instead I succumbed to the temptation to have a look at Semesterapparat (which is a place where you find the best available features) to find “Once”, which I heard was worth giving it a go. So I did. And it really was worth it!
The Irish feature is actually a musical, I was quite surprise to learn that 60% of the whole film are songs. The next remarkable thing about the film is that it was made for only 130.000 euros. And I was somehow moved to recognise the scenery so well – Grafton Street, St.Stephen’s Green, Drumcondra – the action taking place in Dublin, where I myself spent two long months.
The film really managed to capture the atmosphere of this city. Crowds of turists, the Irish women – all dressed the same way (according to new trends in Penneys), all blond, long-haired with slightly to heavy makeup. And the poor immigrants who do all those jobs to keep their heads above the water, proud they can earn more than their friends back at home. Of course these are sweeping statements but true to a large extent. I really know what that means and how hard it is to have this, let’s be honest, a bit lower position in the society.
But more important is like I said the form of the film. A couple of simple melodies with simple songs that somehow are very touching and stay with you longer than you would expect. Here is one of them:
All in all I really don’t wonder why ‘Once’ got such enthusiastic reviews and worldwide recognition, it definitely is a positive simple story that all of us think could happen us as well. Once…
Tags: john carney, once, once john carney
