once
just saw this last night and LOVED it. It was really late and we were watching on the laptop in bed, and were only going to start it ... but it completely captured us until the very end. Not only do I want to buy the film, I most definitely want to buy the soundtrack.
I would say this film combines the two-ships-passing element of Lost in Translation (another favorite of mine) with a story of artist collaboration that far exceeds other films I've seen about artists lately. And, seeing as it came up in conversation a week or two ago, I really want to share my opinions here. Now, most of my friends disagree with me, so I get that I'm in the minority here, but I have to confess that I really hated "You and Me and Everyone We Know." I found the characters rather too big without a deep psychological development, which kept me from really identifying with them. But more than that, I thought the film was immature and rather repulsively self-congratulatory. Afterward, I immediately looked up Miranda July to see if - and yes, she was a performance artist. Hm. A performance artist makes a film where performance art rescues isolated individuals and brings the world together - performance art saves the day. I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of most performance art, either. So I hated it. I found it shallow. If looking for good work by Ms. Gylenhall, I far prefer "Secretary." I also hated "The Science of Sleep," as I was dismayed by its trotting out of the tired "crazy artist" type ... I really do think that if we keep telling ourselves that only crazy people make worthwhile art we perpetuate a seriously damaging belief, forcing artists to perform for an audience when really it is their work that should be considered first.
Anyhow, these two films came immediately to mind because while the protagonists in "once" weren't perfect, at least they seemed rather normal, functioning individuals. Even, perhaps, slightly boring - in that you'd likely overlook them if you didn't know them, suggesting the way people frequently hide both talent and personal suffering, rather than parading both like some show pony in a circus. How refreshing.
Also, we were deeply impressed when, upon watching some of the special features, we realized that it seemed much of the film was improvised by these two musicians (not actors).
enough. rent it, see it, chime in if you like. cheers.