By NATALIE EDWARDS
The Irish romance film “Once” is one of those indie darlings that has managed to stay in the limelight despite minimal budgeting, a short runtime, and little fanfare aside from glowing word of mouth reviews. The chemistry of the two leads — Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova — was so palpable amid the dreary but touching Dublin setting that the two are now dating. For all of the film’s achievements, it was the soundtrack that won “Once” an Oscar. The songs, which strongly resemble the music released by Hansard’s longtime band The Frames, hold the simple narrative together and give it a mighty and necessary touch of drama.
“Once” will be screened at the Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium in the Santa Monica Public Library at 3 p.m. Tickets are free. For more information, call (310) 458-8600.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 29, 2008. Read the original PDF.