Once: The Best Movie You've Never Seen

Words cannot express how much I love this film, but I'm going to attempt anyway. It's got great performances, a simple yet emotional story, and some of the best music I've ever heard. If anyone who knows me is reading this, they already know what movie I'm talking about. It's my favorite movie. You will discover that you will only find a film that is this good...

Once.

How cheesy was that? Oh well. Once is an incredibly simple story. Basically, it follows the story of a struggling musician who works as a hoover repairman and is currently dealing with a nasty break-up. One day while performing on the street, he meets a girl: a fellow musician with--you guessed it--a broken vacuum. Discovering each other's musical skills, the movie follows the course of a few days where they write, record, and perform songs together that may just have more meaning than they first expected.

While this may sound like a cheesy Hollywood chick flick, it's pretty much the opposite. Instead of big name actors, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova are assigned to the respective roles of the guy and the girl, and they do a fantastic job at not only portraying emotion during songs, but also during dialogue. For first time actors, they play the parts incredibly naturally---to the point where it feels like you are watching a documentary instead of a low budget Irish film.

The music is simply incredible. From the Oscar-winning song Falling Slowly that is beautiful in its simplicity (much like the film), to the slowly-building explosion of sound that is When Your Mind's Made Up, to the pure cry of pain that is Say It To Me Now, each and every song carries such emotion that you won't see it coming until it sneaks up and takes you along for the ride.

I really can't recommend this film enough. It's the best movie I've ever seen. From the hilarious opening to the absolutely pitch-perfect final frame (seriously, it's probably the best ending I've ever seen in a film), I just don't know how someone couldn't have enjoyed this film. It's got so much pure heart and emotion and such excellent music that you need to go out and rent this--no, BUY this---right now. For film's sake: see this movie. At least once.

Trailer: