"Once" **** (out of four): Small gem of a film about a struggling guitarist who finds love on the streets of Dublin is the most impressive reinvention of the musical genre since "Moulin Rouge".

The word “real” is rarely used to describe the musical genre. Typically, a musical is all about heightened emotions - how else could you explain bursting into song at the drop of a hat. "Once" - a small gem of a film about a struggling guitarist who finds love on the streets of Dublin - is a sneak attack: a movie musical disguised as a low budget indie. The guy and girl in the story (named, simply, Guy and Girl) work on the streets - he's a guitarist and she sells flowers. Their relationship leads them to a piano shop where the owner let's her play during lunch. As Guy (Glen Hansard of the band “The Frames”) teaches her one of his songs, to which she adds a piano line and harmony, the film is transformed as their emotions soar on his bittersweet lyrics. From then on every note brings us closer to these characters.

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