ONCE. Dir John Carney. 2006

The Frames’ front man Glen Hansard plays a wounded busker singing songs of heartache and heartbreak on the streets of Dublin. He is spotted by a young Czech immigrant spots who loves his songs although they are pretty maudlin.

She is the driving force that shakes him out of his inertia, prompts him to pick up the pieces and follow his dream, and it’s interesting that she is making such a success of her life in a new country whilst he is floundering in his own. Without her he'd still be fixing vacuum cleaners in a back street shop. Perhaps fresh starts are a Jolly Good Thing.

They recognize each other as a pair of love casualties and this film is a touching study of two people meeting at a vulnerable time in their lives and making a connection. It shows the transitory nature of very deep affection without providing the obvious outcome, avoiding the cliche of boy meets girl.Despite the hand held camerawork being a bit jerky at times, intentionally arty but disconcerting, and the poor sound quality, this is sweet, tender, and subtle.