Why 'Once' (2007) is the Greatest Musical of上传 the 21st Century: A Critic’s Ultimate Regret

Labels: Film Reviews, Once 2007, Glen Hansard, Musical Movies, Cinema Masterpieces, Indie Films, Modern Cinema

Introduction: The Weight of a 3.5-Star Mistake

Every film critic harbors a secret ghost—a professional miscalculation that haunts them long after the credits roll and the theater lights come up. It is the sting of looking back at a review written years prior and realizing that institutional caution, critical detachment, or simply a failure of imagination got in the way of true greatness.

My biggest regret as a film critic is precisely this: I awarded three and a half stars, rather than the maximum four, to Once back in 2007.

At the time, I was completely blown away by the film’s raw emotional resonance, its hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, and the striking authenticity of its two lead actors. Yet, in a bid to appear measured and objective—to avoid going "overboard" on an unassuming, micro-budget Irish indie picture—I held back that final half-star. It took a second viewing, stripped of all critical pretense and expectations, to cement an opinion that will now never change: Once is not merely one of the truly great films of the 21st century; it is easily the finest, most enduring musical of this era.

The Cinematic Landscape of 2007 and the Birth of an Understated Masterpiece

To understand why Once stands apart, one must look back at the cinematic landscape of 2007. It was a year dominated by heavy hitters, sprawling historical dramas, dark psychological thrillers, and flashy, high-concept studio pictures. Into this crowded arena stepped Once, directed by John Carney—a former bassist for the Irish rock band The Frames—working with a shoestring budget of roughly 150,000 euros and a production schedule that felt more like a guerrilla art project than a commercial film shoot.

There were no elaborate soundstages, no multi-million-dollar CGI visual effects, and no polished, hyper-choreographed dance numbers in the style of classic Hollywood Golden Age musicals. Instead, Once offered something radical for the new millennium: total, uncompromising honesty.

The plot is deceptively simple. Set against the rainy, windswept backdrop of Dublin, the film follows an unnamed street busker (played by Glen Hansard, frontman of The Frames) who repairs vacuum cleaners by day and pours his broken heart into acoustic folk songs by night. He crosses paths with a young, impoverished Czech immigrant (played with luminous vulnerability by Markéta Irglová) who sells flowers on the street and possesses a profound, untrained talent for the piano. Over the course of an eventful week, the two form an unlikely bond, collaborating on music that gives voice to the unspoken grief, longing, and hope lingering in their respective lives.

Why Once Defies the Traditional Musical Genre

Traditional movie musicals often rely on a theatrical suspension of disbelief where characters suddenly burst into song, stopping the narrative momentum dead in its tracks to deliver a choreographed spectacle. While that style has its own nostalgic charm, Once subverts the formula entirely.

In Once, characters do not sing because they are trapped in a fantasy world; they sing because speech has failed them. Music becomes their truest form of communication. When Glen Hansard’s character strums his battered Takamine acoustic guitar on Grafton Street, or when he and Irglová share a makeshift rehearsal space in a local music shop—fleshing out the timeless anthem "Falling Slowly"—the music feels organic, earned, and essential.

* Verisimilitude over Spectacle: Every song performed in the film is played live on set. There were no studio re-recordings or polished post-production overdubs. The imperfections—a stray squeak of a guitar string, the ambient noise of a Dublin street, the heavy breathing between verses—are left intact, elevating the emotional weight.

* A Tenderly Crushing Love Story: Unlike conventional romantic comedies that rely on grand gestures, dramatic declarations, or Hollywood-manufactured happy endings, Once embraces the bittersweet reality of missed timing. It explores a profound connection between two souls who recognize they met at the wrong moment in their lives.

* The Subtle Power of Restraint: The emotional climax of the film does not involve a sweeping embrace or a dramatic parting kiss at an airport. Instead, it is found in quiet glances, shared headphones, and a lingering sense of mutual gratitude.

Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová: Chemistry Born of Sound

The beating heart of Once lies in the miraculous, lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry between Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. Neither was a trained professional actor when the film was made. Hansard was a seasoned indie-rock musician who had spent decades playing gritty pubs and concert halls, while Irglová was a teenage pianist from the Czech Republic.

This lack of formal acting technique is precisely what makes their performances so mesmerizing. There is no artifice in their interactions. When Hansard looks at Irglová, his expression carries the heavy fatigue of a man recovering from a broken heart, paired with the sudden, disarming jolt of inspiration. When Irglová challenges him to push his musical boundaries, her wisdom cuts straight through his defensive walls.

Their musical collaboration yielded an incredible soundtrack that went on to capture global acclaim, eventually winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Falling Slowly" in 2008. Watching them perform together on screen is like watching two people fall in love in slow motion through the medium of chord progressions and lyrical confessions.

An Ode to Music Itself

Beyond being a tenderly crushing love story, Once is, more subtly and profoundly, a story about music itself. It examines how essential music is to the human experience, what it does for our fractured spirits, and what an extraordinary gift it is to be able to create and share art.

In our modern digital age, music is often consumed as background noise—streamed algorithmically while we work, commute, or scroll through social media. Once reminds us of the sacred, restorative power of live creation. It shows how a simple melody can bridge cultural divides, heal old wounds, and articulate feelings that human language is simply too clumsy to express.

The film demonstrates that art does not need to be expensive or mass-produced to be transformative. Sometimes, all it takes is two people in a dusty music store, sharing a piano bench, working out the harmony to a song that says: You are not alone.

The Enduring Legacy: A Masterpiece That Aged Like Fine Wine

Looking back nearly two decades later, the cultural footprint of Once has only grown more pronounced. It spawned a critically acclaimed Broadway musical adaptation that won multiple Tony Awards, proving that the core emotional architecture of Carney’s indie gem was universally resonant.

Yet, nothing can ever truly replace the gritty, handheld magic of the original 2007 film. It captured a specific time, place, and emotional zeitgeist with a clarity that few filmmakers ever achieve in a lifetime.

My initial hesitation—that three-and-a-half-star hedge—feels foolish now. Great art demands surrender. It asks the viewer to cast aside cynicism and let the experience wash over them entirely. Once is a cinematic triumph of the highest order, a timeless testament to human vulnerability, and a love letter to the healing power of song. It is, without a doubt, a four-star masterwork—and the undisputed musical king of the 21st century.

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Why 'Once' (2007) is the Greatest Musical of上传 the 21st Century: A Critic’s Ultimate Regret

Why 'Once' (2007) is the Greatest Musical of上传 the 21st Century: A Critic’s Ultimate Regret

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