REVIEW: The Swell Season Revisits the Stars of Once and Finds Bittersweet Romance
Once casts a long shadow over the The Swell Season, a black-and-white tour documentary co-directed by Nick August-Perna, Chris Dapkins and Carlo Mirabella-Davis. For one thing the film, which follows musicians-turned-movie stars Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová as they perform under the band name of the title, wouldn't exist if it weren't for Once -- the incredible, unexpected success of the Irish indie romance made celebrities of its leads and netted them an Academy Award for their song "Falling Slowly," one of many we hear them play in the doc. Early on, we're shown Hansard's mother hefting her son's Oscar and speaking of him with pride, musing that if the two musicians were to get married, their children would be able to say "ma and dad have an Oscar each!" Once has allowed the long-struggling Hansard and considerably younger Irglová to become a coveted live act, and it's on tour that The Swell Season catches them, as the first flush of celebration has faded and weariness has begun to set in.
