Markéta Irglová brings a musician’s ease to Once, letting shared work make the attraction convincing. Her quiet presence steadies Glen Hansard’s intensity; the acting record is small, but this performance earns our warm recommendation.
Fi1m perspective
In Once (2007), Glen Hansard sings as though his frustration needs to be heard; Markéta Irglová does not compete with him for emphasis. As Girl, a Czech immigrant drawn into the music of his Dublin busker, she gives their scenes a welcome calm. We were moved by the pair making music together, because their ease makes the growing attachment convincing without either having to explain it. John Carney, who writes and directs, allows the songs time to do that work. Irglová is central to why we recommend the film so warmly.
The casting makes use of a collaboration that was already there: Irglová and Hansard formed the Swell Season in 2005. They supply the film’s music as well as its central performances, so playing together feels like something these people know how to do. Carney gives them that shared activity before asking us to care about their attraction. Irglová’s lack of fuss helps us accept that practical side of the story. The characters also have limited means, a useful check on a romance that could otherwise become too comfortable.
That does not mean every choice around her works. The photography can be rough enough to distract us from the people, and some of the songwriting insists on its feelings a little too firmly. Neither reservation cancels the pleasure of watching performers who are at ease together. Carney is right to trust Irglová’s quieter contribution rather than ask her to match Hansard’s force. When the characters are guarded, the rawness of their singing lets us hear what they find harder to say.
Her subsequent work gives us little basis for describing a developing screen technique. Acting has remained a small part of a career centred on music, with Anar (2011) marking the start of her solo albums. We would not turn that into a complaint about missed roles, or pretend that one performance tells us which other parts she could play. What Carney gets from her depends on the particular fit between musician, character and co-star. Start with Once, and allow its songs the time they ask for.
Biography
Markéta Irglová is a Czech-Icelandic singer-songwriter, musician, actress and composer. She was born on 28 February 1988 in Valašské Meziříčí, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic).
She starred as the Girl and contributed to the music in the 2007 film Once, for which she and co-star Glen Hansard won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Falling Slowly". She formed the duo the Swell Season with Hansard in 2005 and has released solo albums.
