MOG

Despite the idea that it’s all jolly good show-biz fun, it can be daunting to comprehensively and simultaneously cover the worlds of pop music and film – bouncing from album to movie to concert and back again. But every so often, the two realms intersect, making the gig somewhat simpler. And when the object of your investigations is a work of substantial expertise and passion, offers insight into the human condition, strokes your pleasure center and lifts your spirits, it’s a cause for celebration.

“Once” is that sort of objet d’art, and celebrate I did as I saw the music-saturated film at a super-special San Francisco screening, followed by a question-and-answer session with director-screenwriter John Carney and his two leads - Glen Hansard, genial leader of the fine Irish rock band The Frames, and Markéta Irglová, winsome 19-year-old Czech singer and instrumentalist. Then, Hansard and Irglová gifted the enraptured audience at the Roxie Film Center with an exquisite, impromptu four-song performance. Heavenly.

First things first. This cinematic treat from Ireland is a simple story told with grace and heart; a bittersweet slice of Bohemian life; and a glimpse at the wondrous alchemy of music-making – complete with a handful of swoon-worthy original songs played with skill and deep feeling. It’s also a showcase for the talents of Hansard and Irglová.

In Carney’s unconventional, unpretentious, naturalistic film, two lost souls find solace in one another, and in the power of music. Their relationship starts in an offhand manner: A busker (Hansard) sings and plays his guitar on the streets of Dublin for spare change from passersby. A young Eastern European woman (Irglová) approaches and compliments him. Their random encounter triggers a connection that, in a matter of days, develops into something personally and artistically profound. You can call it a love story, but it’s decidedly not the Hollywood variety.

Besides depicting the catalytic effect that these two people have on one another, “Once” captures the ways that music is conjured - the loneliness of the creative process, and the joy of collaboration - and how music can reflect one’s life - the struggles, the setbacks, the triumphs - and how it can transfigure people. Although light on plot, flash, and splash, it’s a little picture that offers big rewards: touching drama, a bit of whimsy, and achingly beautiful tunes that you may want to seek out on disc or mp3 when the show is over.

The evolution of those songs, including the gorgeous ballad “Falling Slowly,” is worth mentioning. During the Q. & A., it was revealed that Hansard, who initially came to prominence over a decade ago in the offbeat musical film “The Commitments,” met the teenage Irglová while touring Eastern Europe with The Frames. In early 2006, they recorded an emotionally moving, glorious sounding album titled The Swell Season. Meanwhile, Hansard’s pal Carney was preparing to shoot his original script for “Once” with rising Irish actor Cillian Murphy and an experienced Czech actress. When Murphy couldn’t do the role, Carney thought of Hansard and Irglová – and tailored the project, shot on digital video over the course of three weeks, for them and their compositions.

In person and in conversation, Hansard and Carney were gracious, honest and funny; Irglová was quiet and reserved. Hansard briefly reflected on his experiences doing “The Commitments,” and explained why there are versions of “Falling Slowly” and “When Your Mind’s Made Up” on The Swell Season as well as the latest Frames album . (He convinced his band-mates that their amplified electric arrangements would be very different from the duo’s acoustic interpretations.) Irglová fretted about having to return to the Czech Republic for her university exams as soon as she finishes the promotional tour for the film – and mused about doing an album of her own with an assist from Hansard. And Carney proclaimed that any sequel to “Once” would be titled “Twice.”

Finally, Hansard and Irglová played their dulcet mini-set comprised of songs from the “Once” soundtrack, backed only by Hansard’s guitar. We got Hansard's solo version of the Frames' ballad “Say It to Me Now,” Irglová’s plaintive “If You Want Me,” and scintillating duets of “Falling Slowly” and “When Your Mind’s Made Up.”

I walked out of the Roxie feeling honored to have been there – and wondering how to convince the Motion Picture Academy to waive the rules about previously-released material and give “Falling Slowly” an Oscar nomination for Best Song.

Glen and Markéta sing “Falling Slowly” at the Valley Art Theater in Tempe, Arizona after the 5/14/07 screening of “Once”: