Once

"How often do you find the right person?"

2007 1h 25m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 1,507

DramaMusicRomance

Synopsis

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A vacuum repairman moonlights as a street musician and hopes for his big break. One day a Czech immigrant, who earns a living selling flowers, approaches him with the news that she is also an aspiring singer-songwriter. The pair decide to collaborate, and the songs that they compose reflect the story of their blossoming love.

“How often do you find the right person?”

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Cast

Glen Hansard
Guy
Markéta Irglová
Girl
Hugh Walsh
Timmy Drummer
Gerard Hendrick
Lead Guitarist
Alaistair Foley
Bassist
Geoff Minogue
Eamon
Bill Hodnett
Guy's Dad
Danuse Ktrestova
Girl's Mother

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Carney
Writers: John Carney
Languages: Czech, English
Countries: Ireland, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $21M — a 129.4× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 19 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Czech, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Ireland, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Carney, shot by Tim Fleming. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Glen Hansard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Carney directs. Tim Fleming behind the camera. Glen Hansard scores. Paul Mullen cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Ireland, United States of America. Dialogue in Czech, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Grossed $21M — a 129.4× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
4Released 19 years ago.
5Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Czech, English.
6International production across 2 countries: Ireland, United States of America.
7Directed by John Carney, shot by Tim Fleming. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
8Original score by Glen Hansard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
9Editor Paul Mullen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
10Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová and Hugh Walsh carry the top of the cast.
11Marketing tagline: "How often do you find the right person?".
12IMDB entry: tt0907657 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
13Classified under 19 themes, including "rock 'n' roll", "lovesickness", "love of one's life", "composer".

The technical file

Cinematography: Tim Fleming
Original score: Glen Hansard
Editing: Paul Mullen
Production design: Tamara Conboy
Costume design: Tiziana Corvisieri
Makeup / hair: Barbara Conway
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $160,000
Box office: $20,710,513
Return: 12944% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Once (2007)

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John Carney

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Community reviews

What people are saying

lmao72017-02-08
★ 10/10
Not done with the 1st month of 2017 when I saw this but this is officially my first new fave movie to watch this year. It has been on my ‘films to watch’ list for like a while after watching Sing Street - another John Carney film. And i did like his other film Begin Again (love the song Lost Stars). All have similar themes…not just music, but the process of making music. I love the simplicity of Once - feels more raw and natural (than Sing Steet and Begin Again). And the songs are really beautiful. I have been listening to it everyday. My top 2 favorite scenes are: Falling Slowly (video above) at the music shop - instant connection through music! Doesn’t have to be a love story between the guy and the girl, just relate and connect for their love for making music. Second one would be the recording studio scene: When Your Mind’s Made Up. I love how the guy who’s ‘pressing the buttons’ was like meh just here to work with whatever wannabee band, and then when they start to play he’s like…what is this? this is actually good - support! And from there it’s just something magical for all of them, that you know these musicians are in their element and will remember it for the rest of their lives, doing something that they are all so passionate about. Everyone inside the studio - just very endearing characters. Well I love the whole film so all the scenes are great. My favorite emotional song, Lies. It’s so powerful and heartbreaking, I think most relateable scene as well. Just might replace Garden State as my background film to play when I am doing something else, just to hear it. A must see for musicians and just music lovers like me.
sykobanana2021-05-15
★ 10/10
Perfection and I fell slowly in love with this film. Challenge: Make an Indy hit with a tiny budget; "no name" actors in there; and use actors with no or limited acting experience. Have the plot be basic (Guy meets Girl early on), but realistic. Keep the characters relatable and add humour. Now make it a musical with at least 10 tracks. Oh and also, make sure an Oscar is won. THIS is just what this movie achieved and Im blown away by it. Hansard and Irglova are so believable in their roles, I didnt know they had such limited act experience. And the music they make together is glorious, heart felt and raw. This is the modern-day musical that people should watch. Not the over-rated Hamilton, or self indulgent La-La Land, or the tragedy that is Cats. This is just: love, music, people. And I love it (despite the tears it brings). (And reading up on this, I teared up again - There is a moment towards the end of the movie when Guy asks Girl whether she loves her husband. Girl responds, "No. I love you" (her response is unsubtitled), so Guy does not understand her). If you have a heart and love being moved by movies, watch this. WATCH THIS ASAP.