Once

The elegant interior of Cameo 1 is the ideal setting for Once, a musical film of a new kind. You won’t find the brass and high kicks of Moulin Rouge or The Producers here – instead, the film tells the naïve story of two down-at-heel lovers who find each other on the streets of Dublin through their shared love of music. The director John Carney has dubbed it a kind of “visual album” – an apt description.

Glen Hansard of Irish band The Frames, whose only other work as an actor was a bit part in Alan Parker’s The Commitments, gives a competent if slightly staid performance as the guy; whilst relatively unknown Marketa Irglova, only 17 at the time of filming, is vital and convincing as the girl. Their seamless transitions from words into music, particularly during scenes in which we see them actually composing, lend the songs a sense of spontaneity and a certain charm, although a few begin to err on the side of mawkishness in their direct descriptions of love.

Once is a simple idea well executed, particularly in the slow burning relationship which builds between Hansard and Irglova, and its understated use of music is something genuinely original. However, while it differs from the spate of musicals we have seen on the big screen in recent years, it undoubtedly owes its existence to them, and could therefore be seen as somewhat derivative.