The characters in "Once" don't even have names; it's just the Guy (Glen Hansard) and the Girl (Marketa Irglova), and the story spans about 10 days in their lives one autumn in Dublin. "Once" was a sleeper hit at the Sundance Film Festival — and it's like a small, shining halo of brightness that recalls all that's wonderful about independent filmmaking.
Written and directed by Irish musician John Carney, former member of The Frames, and starring Frames frontman Glen Hansard, "Once" is an unabashedly honest, art-house musical sure to grab anyone who has ever strummed a guitar or wanted to write a song about someone they loved.
The good news is that it's all about music and the intimacy that it brings, and the story stops there. The Guy and the Girl don't exchange a single kiss before going their separate ways.