once

it was wednesday afternoon. my phone rang and it was bo. we had a normal chat and then he asked me if i'd like to go to a movie with him. i, of course, asked "which movie?" he responded, "it's a surprise." since i love surprises, i said yes and began to get excited. he told me that we could see it at 7:05 or 9:20 at the theater by the mall, but that if i peeked and tried to figure out what movie he was taking me to, he'd be mad. so, because i hate spoiling the surprise... i waited anxiously for 5:00 to come so i could get home and we could get on with our night!

we had dinner, went to the mall and did some shopping and then it was time. i wasn't allowed to be with him when he bought the tickets. i wasn't to look at the signage. i even kept my head buried in the popcorn bag as we entered theater #13. i sat down and had no idea what i was in for.

the previews came and went and then the story began to unfold. the movie was a delightful film called "once." "once" is a modern day musical set on the streets of dublin. featuring glen hansard from the irish band "the frames," the film tells the story of a street musician and a czech immigrant during an eventful week as they write, rehearse and record songs that reveal their unique love story.



i can't begin to describe the emotion that weighed on me as i watched this film unfold. throughout the film, you learn the story of the guy and the girl (who have no names in the film). the guy running from the pain of a love lost and the girl trying to make sense of her estranged marriage. both musicians, the guy shares his songs with the girl and they begin to write and perform together. the music that is born is nothing short of magical.

my heart leaped and sank, my eyes filled with tears, my feet tapped the seat in front of me, and my hand gripped bo's tightly as this beautiful story came to life in front of me.

go see this film. buy the soundtrack. let your heart swell with the beauty that these two musicians create as if effortless... it is, as i said before, nothing short of magical.