Glen Hansard died in a motorcycle accident on July 29, returning from a gig outside of Dublin. He was known to the general public as the proudly Irish founder of the bands The Frame and The Swell Season, as well as a solo artist, and most famously as the star and co-composer of the film Once.
In honor of Hansard, VTIFF is screening Once, the surprise hit of 2007. Shot by director John Carney in three weeks in Dublin on two Steadicams at a cost of $125,000, the film became an art-house sensation, earning $23.5 million at the box office and earning Hansard and his co-composer/co-star Markéta Irglová a well-deserved Oscar for Best Song (“Falling Slowly”).
Once tells the story of a busking Irish street musician (Hansard), who meets a Czech immigrant, also a musician. The two strike up a musical connection that fuels the film. Tender, sweet, hilarious, and always very real, Once is a remarkable feat of low-budget filmmaking, though there’s little doubt that its success rests in the strength of Hansard’s songs, and the palpable chemistry between him and Irglová. To the surprise of no one who saw the film, Hansard and Irglova became a couple in real life from 2007-09.
While the whole film is thoroughly engaging, its most classic moment stands as one of the greatest musical moments in cinema. At a music store, Hansard starts to teach her one of his songs, and the two magically segue into a gorgeous duet performance of the entrancing “Falling Slowly.” Essentially, you watch the two begin to fall in love in real time during the song. Unforgettable.