I will wholeheartedly admit that I am the first in line for summer blockbusters. I've blogged in other places about all the movies I've been excited to see, all the sequels that I'd hoped would be better than their predecessors, all the special effects that would transport me to fantasy worlds and spy espionage and good old fashioned car vs. helicopter blowy-uppy scenes.
But every now and again a film will quietly step out from the shadows and wrap its way around your eyes and ears and heart, leaving you enriched and fulfilled in ways that outlast the flashy sensory overloads of its' far-more-expensive counterparts.
"Once" came highly recommended and Christina and I went to see it on a whim. The story tells of two amateur musicians whose chance street encounter turns into a deeper friendship, told through songs that the actors themselves wrote and performed. It was simple, clean (cinematically speaking, though it's rated R for language, so I cannot with full conscience recommend it to those of you that censor your movie choices), and stripped of the falsities that plague our society today. I didn't even view the actors as 'actors', seeing as they are real life musicians who wrote the songs specifically for the movie, truly fell in love while filming and are currently touring together today. The movie was simply an 82-minute glance into their ongoing lives... It's like those stage shows where a pre-filmed video shows on the screen of the performers doing something bizarre or thrilling, and then suddenly they appear on stage looking like they just came from the screen.
The soundtrack is one of those few that almost outshines the movie itself. I may not vociferously demand that you see the movie, but I DO proclaim that the album is one of my best musical purchases in a long while and I would strongly encourage you to give it a whirl. The title track caught me from the third note and the scene where they learn to play it together was absolutely mesmerizing. There is something about pure, unfettered emotion directed through the medium of music that cuts straight through to the soul and speaks in a way that words never can. The melodies soared and stretched and bent the rules of decorum that the two protagonists couldn't express verbally or physically. As the director himself said, "a three-minute song is worth ten pages of dialogue."
As Rolling Stone reviewed, this was "a gift of a movie" and my life is all the much better for it. It opened in March and is still going strong even today. So now I'm in an indie mood and want to know: what underdog cinematic gems can you recommend to enhance my movie-watching experience??
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2 comments:
Thank you, Jen. Beautifully said. I do love movies...a lot, but it is rare that a movie evokes quite as much emotion from me as this one did. I mean a movie that causes frequent, if not constant, goosebumps, a slackening of the jaw in fascination, inspiration to explore my own creativity, and a complete bewitching of my imagination...well, that is a very special movie, indeed.
The music is inspiring and beautiful and haunting. I've had the soundtrack on almost constant repeat since we saw it on Saturday. In short, I'm hooked. As Jen said, it didn't feel so much like watching acting as it did watching a bit of life unfold. One could almost feel a bit voyeuristic, wondering whether or not we should be allowed to witness such personal conversations. For those of you afraid that this is merely a romance, think again. It does have romantic elements, but that certainly doesn't encapsulate what this movie has to offer. Like I said, it is inspiring and funny and sweet and touching. So, there are my two cents.
As far as other indie (and foreign) gems go...here are a few of my favorites.
- The Spitfire Grill - beautiful and sweet with a very spiritual message.
- The Italian - Russian film. Stark and moving.
- Joyeux Noel - (in German, French and English) Story of what happened on the front lines in WWII when the sides united for one night on Christmas Eve. Does a wonderful job of portraying all sides equally and respectfully.
- Water - Indian film about the lives of widows. Melancholy and rather sad, but not depressing.
- The Chorus (Le Choriste - French film) Another touching story, beautifully written and portrayed.
- Everything Is Illuminated -I don't know if this counts as indie (I think it does, but whatever.), but it is simply one of the best movies I've ever seen. End of story.
I'll stop here or I may just go overboard, but if you want to have a foreign/indie film watching party, let me know. I have a number and still have many more I want to see. :)
I ain’t got a whole lot to add, since the AK summed it all up best.
(But this one is for you, G.)
I could add a whole lot of bark about how dope I think the movie is, but the bottom line is that I just don’t think that I ever see movies like “Once” in the theater. I mean, it’s rare.
I think “Once” is what the movie-going experience should always be like -- simply tight.
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