Thoughts on 2007: Once (AKA the best film of the year)

That's right. Best film of the year: Once.

Walking into the film I had heard some nice things, but that was mostly about the music. What unfolded was nothing short of a small miracle, which counts as a definite miracle in film terms. Admittedly, there's no way to accurately describe this movie, as it's not really a sum of its parts.

For starters, it was shot on video for 100,000 dollars in Ireland, and thus features practically none of the technical capabilities that almost every Hollywood film takes for granted. That's never been something I've especially cared about, but it makes the beautiful moments in the film all the more remarkable. And Once has too many beautiful moments to count. Not beautiful shots mind you. Just quietly beautiful moments. The kind that exist between two people trying making a connection.

Don't misinterpret that. This ain't no cheesefest. God no. Far from it. I've seen so many movies that deal with "two lonely souls" trying to make a connection, but those are always movie moments, and movie lines in movie worlds. It's the real ones that get me. There's no way to describe them. They're the kind of moments that make your heart swell up. There isn't even a hint of their construction. The kind that radically alter to your disposition (they seem so incredibly rare this day in age and the only thing that I can think of like it is most of the events of "The Wire" and that's a tv show). And like life, Once plays out a series of moments captured with an incredible poignancy....

God. The more I write about the more I don't like what I'm saying about it.

So I'll make it simple: this might be the most beautiful film I've ever seen. And yes, the second it finished I went out and bought the soundtrack at the record store across the street.

Recommendation: Highest possible. For everybody no matter what kind of movies you like.