I mentioned it last week, but there is a small movie that's quietly making fans of everyone who sees it. Once is a film about an Irish street musician who meets a fellow soul mate in a Czech pianist. It was this year's Sundance winner for the Audience Award, and for very good reason. It has the emotional wallop that the bazillion-budgeted summer pics have been straining for, and achieves those desired results with genuine heart.





A simple scene of friends tossing around a Frisbee seems to say more in this little movie than scenes manufactured for ten times the cost. It’s only on 60 screens (apologies if the pic is not playing in your town yet, but hopefully it will be) and it’s doing so well that amongst the top 15 movies at the box office last weekend, its per screen average trailed only Pirates 3 and Knocked Up. If you're looking for something that's different and original, and transcendent and hopeful, then this movie's guaranteed to inspire. Per the Ebert & Roeper review, it's the type of film that “would make a 12-year-old a better person.”

Seen Once? What's your opinion?