9) Once
One of the things that bring people close together is music. And few films capture that passion for music – the connections it forges, the crescendo of feeling it brings to people, the meaning it brings to the artists who put every ounce of their humanity into the words and chords – as much as Once. The 2006 Irish musical was made for chump change but left a big impact on nearly every music lover who saw it. Intimate and simple, the film tells of a fleeting romance between an Irish busker and singer-songwriter (played by Glen Hansard) and the Czech musician (Markéta Irglová) who becomes his partner in rhyme.
Once was also a giant first date between Hansard and Irglová, despite him being more than double her age at the time of filming. They share such a pure chemistry tethered around a love for music that it is easy to look beyond the age gap and root for these lovelorn souls to drift closer together. Once is a film you fall for, slowly. You are sucked into its homey, micro-budget universe, and come to know its complicated romantic leads through their stirring songs, which are both evocative and bracingly honest. To see for yourself what we mean, just check out the beautiful video below.
At its core, the film is about starting over after heartbreak and what it means to connect with someone new, a feeling that two souls getting close on a first date are bound to realize as they watch the film. It is a love story that ought to make either side of a potential relationship want to express his or her own feelings – perhaps through music, or another art form.
