Once (2007)

Modest charmer manages a fine balance of sweet/spiky so effortlessly that I wonder why it's not done more often. It drifts in, does its thing, and gets out of the way with no complaints from me. Acting is surprisingly good as well, considering both leads are musicians by trade. The true triumph here, though, is the music -- despite the fact that it's the kind of lung-ripping emo-folk that can strike me as very hit or miss, there's not a weak song in the bunch, and they're all seamlessly integrated into the narrative; the first studio scene, where the band tracks "When Your Mind's Made Up," is on the early shortlist for best scene of the year. Shame about the shite camerawork, though -- people, low-grade digital video is NOT THE FUTURE.

Grade: B