The Irish romance ONCE may be a musical, but it is miles away from the traditional Hollywood idea of people bursting into song. Glen Hansard (frontman for indie rock band The Frames) plays the guy, a street musician who is playing for change when he meets the girl (Marketa Irglova), an immigrant from the Czech Republic. The pair immediately bond over their shared love of music (he is a guitarist, and she plays the piano), and the film chronicles their tentative relationship. Both are weighed down by plenty of baggage: his songs are fueled by a painful breakup, and she is a young mother who left her husband behind in her native country.

Like the independent favorite BEFORE SUNRISE, ONCE is a simple, sweet drama that doesn't rely on an elaborate plot. With its use of digital video and handheld cameras, ONCE matches its spare visual style to its intimate mood. Each moment feels stolen from real life, and the story is at once familiar and fresh. Driven more by music than by dialogue, ONCE features a stirring soundtrack of heartfelt indie rock sung by Hansard and Irglova. Before his foray into film, director John Carney (ON THE EDGE) played bass in The Frames, and his passion for music is clear in this modern musical that hits every note perfectly.

Theatrical Release: May 16, 2007 (Limited)

DVD Features:

Widescreen
Audio:
Stereo - English, Spanish
Subtitles - English, French, Spanish - Optional
Additional Release Materials:
Audio Commentary - John Carney - Director; Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova - Stars
Featurettes - 1. "Making a Modern Day Musical"
2. "More Guy, More Girl"
Musical Commentary - John Carney - Director; Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova - Stars
Trailers

Glen Hansard: 
Marketa Irglova: Star, ONCE (2007)
Bill Hodnett: Star, ONCE (2007)
Danuse Ktrestova: Star, ONCE (2007)

John Carney: Director, ON THE EDGE (2001)

Martina Niland: Producer, ONCE (2007)

John Carney: Director, ON THE EDGE (2001)

"[I]ts low-key affect and decidedly human scale endow ONCE with an easy, lovable charm that a flashier production could never have achieved."
"[The songs] are softly gorgeous odes to troubled hearts....ONCE moves with the dartingly unresolved, clear-eyed spirit of a French New Wave film."
"ONCE is as enchanted with the expressiveness of song as a Jacques Demy movie....These numbers carry an affectingly plaintive charge, laying bare the characters' hurts and hopes..."
4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] magnificent, unique movie....ONCE is an 85-minute ballad with musings on love and loss that cannot help but speak to everyone."
4 stars out of 5 -- "A subtle, engrossing romance, but one laced with a bittersweet tang....The songs are fantastic."
4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] low-budget Irish charmer....[With] deft directorial determination..."
5 stars out of 5 -- "[With] charismatic leads, [a] heart-wrenching story and powerfully raw musical performances..."