ONCE

A low-budget indepedent Irish musical with no actors you've heard of...but easily one of the best films of the year. Glen Hansard, the lead singer of the Irish rock/folk group The Frames, stars as a simple streetside guitar player who also works for his father repairing vacuum cleaners. One day he meets a young girl - a music lover and piano player. Together they explore the beginnings of a friendship/romance that faces all the hurdles of their already established lives and relationships. Their relationship is so guarded and restrained at all times out of fear and inhibition...only their music opens them up. This isn't one of those musicals where people sing lines to each other and prance across the screen (Thank God!)...its a genuine romance where music is used to express the lives and emotions of its characters. You'll find it nearly impossible to not want the soundtrack (or at least something by The Frames). 5 of 5 hs