Once

This movie has received rave reviews and a number of film festival awards and it deserves all of it. It is the best "musical" I've ever seen. I put quotes around musical because it's not really a musical in the traditioanl sense. Some of the songs are written and sung by the people in the movie, but there aren't elaborate, or not elaborate, dance numbers or any of the other elements of a normal musical.

I'm a huge fan of realism/minimalism and this movie is a splendid example of realism/minimalism . One thing that I think is a key element of realism is the almost amateur camera work found in just about every good example of realism. By this, I mean it has parts that were clearly recorded free hand (with out a triopd or any steadying equipment). Some people don't like this, but I think it's a charming quality of realism. I say almost amateur because the shots are beutifully crafted even though their appear amateur. The movie takes place in Dublin, Ireland and the camera shots made Dublin look like the prettiest, most charming city in the world. One quality of the movie that I thought was interesting was that they never mention (to my knowledge) the name of the main characters. In the credits, they are simply listed as Guy and Girl. A movie that can capture you in the story and make you forget that you don't even know the main character's names has to be doing something right.

The story is about a guy and a girl who meet, record some songs with friends, and then...well you'll see. Of coarse there is much more to the movie, but that is the basic plot. The story is touching and makes you feel. It is simply beautiful. I'm not sure if this movie is entirely fictional or not because the main character of the movie is played by the lead signer of a band from Ireland called The Frames. It seems plausible to me that this story is could be based off of how The Frames got their start. The soundtrack is incredible as well. Most of it is sung by the two main characters and is beautiful. It captures and goes along with the story exquisetly.

Since this film is technically a foreign film (it's an Irish film), it has my vote for best foreign film. It's absolutely spectacular and indeed one of my favorite movies. You should check it out soon because who knows how much longer it will be in theatres.