The music makes the movie

Fox Searchlight. Sony Pictures Classic. The Weinstein Company. Warner Independent Pictures. These are the arms of the big brother movie studios that are searching in every state, every country and every film festival for the next big independent movie. And Fox Searchlight thinks that it has found that movie.

Once, the new film by Irish director John Carney, is a great movie. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews. The New York Times loved it. The public loves it. Its greatness, however, has nothing to do with Carney, who wrote and directed the film.

Once is a great film because of the talent of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.

In Once, Carney attempts to make a movie like The Graduate, where the two characters fall into a love that can never be. Carney then takes this love story and tries to revamp it by turning it into a musical of sorts–a modern-day, more accessible Singin’ in the Rain without the dance numbers.

But everything that Once brings, we’ve seen before. The love story is very sweet, but its story and style almost duplicate The Graduate, save for the mother-daughter conflict. The cinematography is nice, and even beautiful in some spots, but is no better than any Portland hipster could film. The dialogue is cute and on the edge of provocative, but is not any more intelligent than a high school love story.

Filmed over 17 days for a measly $130,000 in Dublin, Once takes you through the mid-life crisis of Hansard, the protagonist named “the Guy.” During the course of a few days, Hansard meets and befriends Irglova, named “the Girl,” who helps Hansard understand his life, goals and passion.

They find that they share a passion and talent for music. They seem to fall in love. They seem to be a perfect match. But both have other lives that restrict them from each other. Much of the film’s dialogue is the lyrics that Hansard and Irglova sing. But they don’t break into songs abruptly. Instead, the songs that Hansard and Irglova write fall into the storyline of the film naturally and logically.

Once is simple in its approach to love. It doesn’t complicate Hansard and Irglova’s relationship to the extent that the audience is uncomfortable or bored. It merely tells a simple story of two people with a passion for music and for life.

That still isn’t enough. Without Hansard and Irglova Once would be glaringly mediocre. Luckily for Carney, Hansard–bringing with him his beautiful voice and immense talent–tagged on to the project. Because Hansard, the front man for the Irish band The Frames, and Irglova sang all of the songs and wrote all of the lyrics, Once turned into a respectable piece of cinema.

Hansard is one of the most talented singers, lyricists and musicians alive today. Listen to any one of The Frames’ six albums, and the dark sounds, ambiguous lyrics and grandiose music will impress you. See The Frames live, and Hansard’s friendly stage presence–and his obvious passion for his music–will make you a fan of The Frames for life.

Watching Once is like watching a two-hour Frames concert–a concert with a sweet love story that, like The Frames’ music, makes you both optimistic and sad. Irglova, a little-known musician from the Czech Republic, brings a haunting tragedy to the film. Quiet and moving, Irglova’s voice is a perfect match for Hansard’s impassioned and energetic tone.

Neither Hansard nor Irglova have any real acting experience. Hansard had a role in the 1991 Alan Parker (Angela’s Ashes, The Life of David Gale) film The Commitments, but left acting behind to pursue his full-time career in The Frames. Despite lacking a background in acting, both Hansard and Irglova come off as honest. Neither seems afraid of the camera or intimidated by an environment that is new to them.

Both Hansard and Irglova thanked Carney for their success in the film during an interview in Seattle last week. But Carney seems to have had to do little to make the film good: he was a coach when Hansard and Irglova needed, and otherwise, he just tried to shoot some purdy pictures. Mostly, Carney did all the annoying things that many indie films do. He left the main characters nameless. He shot the movie mostly with a handheld device. He made the storyline without the traditional climax and plot turns.

Carney has made other movies that received acclaim, such as 2001’s On the Edge starring Cillian Murphy. Carney could be a talented filmmaker, but Once does not show off those talents–it shows the passion and songwriting of Hansard and Irglova. In the case of Once, that is more than enough.