Once

In the plane, I hooked up the crayolas to Dora the Explorer and started surfing the inflight entertainment channels for something to watch. I nearly fell off the seat when I found the movie 'Once'.

L told me about Once. She makes films so she's clued into the really good stuff. Interest piqued, I watched a few You Tube clips and started falling-rapidly-in-love with the pairing of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova in the movie.




Glen Hansard is the sort of guy that my father never approved of but I always had a tendency to fall for. Scruffy. Lonely. Grungy street musician with zero real career inclinations. With nothing to offer except sad songs and a hunger to create something.

Marketa sings and plays the piano really well but downplays her talent so that Hansard takes the spotlight. In a troubled marriage, she starts to fall slowly. In the end, she chooses family unity before gratifying her own desires. She looks 18 (is about that age actually) but has gigantic adult sized responsiblities.

They are both poor and struggle to make a living. He busks in the streets. She cleans houses and sells flowers. Their first meeting is ackward. Their romance implausible. They never kiss and in the end they don't end up together. But what happens between them making music for that fragment in time, is better than xxx, better than kissing or having a relationship.