Former bass player turned director John Carney has eschewed the overblown cliches to deliver an unpretentious modern musical about a romance between a broken hearted Dublin busker and a single mother pianist from the Czech Republic.
Glen Hansard (lead singer of Irish rock band The Frames) plays the anonymous busker, who spends his nights writing songs above his dad’s vacuum cleaner repair shop, and his days fending off junkies while belting out Van Morrison hits on the streets of Dublin. It’s here where he encounters the young and sweet nameless girl (played by then 18-year old Czech Marketa Irglova). Using the pretext of a broken vacuum cleaner, the two hang out, sing songs to each other in local music shops, and share their personal, heartfelt songs. With the girl still supporting a husband back in Prague, a typical romance doesn’t develop, but rather a supportive, flirtatious and creative relationship, which results in the guy finally putting a band together and recording.
Unlike a traditional musical, the songs are neither over-the-top production numbers, nor used for exposition. Rather, the characters sing as if they would in real life: when busking on the streets or when playing a song to a friend. The result is not so much a musical, but a movie full of music, and Hansard proves himself not only a fine writer of intelligent love songs, but also an incredibly strong and emotional performer, while the young Irglova proves a sweet love interest and talented pianist. Shot digitally in three weeks, Carney (best known for the Cillian Murphy drama On The Edge) has delivered a restrained and lo-fi tale of unrequited love, featuring beautiful songs and enchanting performances.
Filmink 4/5
