Foreign Steamy Romance Is music a valid substitute for sex?
Ive discussed the foreign musical romance before (here and here), but in Les chansons damour and Les parapluies de Cherbourg, the lovers actually, you know, do it. Once (2006) is a chaste romance, more along the lines of Fa yeung nin wa (In the Mood for Love). The on-screen passion in Once comes from the songs the two characters sing—and keep in mind, theyre not even singing to each other. In fact, several of these songs (Lies, The Hill, All the Way Down) are about being out of love. Heartbreaks a total mood-killer. And yet, Once is still a fantastic, believable romance. All these characters have to do is sing about how miserable their exes made them, and you know theyre falling in love with each other. In other words, who needs sex when youve got a great vocal range?
Warning: spoilers for Once.Guy meets Girl. Guy and Girl fall in love. Guy and Girl spend a week together and end up changing each others lives forever. The Guy here (and that is, in fact, his characters name) is Glen Hansard. The Girl is Markéta Irglová. The description above is fairly accurate, except this Guy and Girl never so much as kiss. Theyre not even all that physical. Its interesting to note that the DVD cover Photoshops the poster image in order to have them holding hands. Because, you know, how could you tell they were in love otherwise?To which I say, pfft. His clothes also appear to have changed colors, but thats neither here nor there.One of the things I love most about Once is how damn subtle it is. And quiet.
You can barely understand what the Guy and Girl are saying, singing notwithstanding. A lesser film would have its main characters realize their feelings for each other at the last possible moment, culminating in a predictable (yet satisfying) kiss. Once never allows that, which is something I find both admirable and disappointing. We think weve seen this formula before, and were invested in the Guys and Girls happiness, even if we dont know their names. The ending isnt exactly cynical, but its not happy either. I mean, the Girls husband sounded like a complete tool.But the relationship does not go entirely unconsummated, because—you guessed it—they sing.
Not twee love songs full of mushy confessions. Instead, we get lyrics like, Maybe if you slowed down for me / I could see youre only telling / Lies, lies, lies. And, Let go of my hand / You said what you have to / Now leave, leave. Full of intensity, but not exactly warm and fuzzy. How is this a substitute for sex? I think the key here is intimacy: Guy and Girl—at the risk of sounding trite—give a part of themselves to each other. They open up completely in ways they hadnt been willing to before. If thats not an appropriate sex metaphor (or, hey, even a literal description of sex), I dont know what is.And then they part ways, and it kills me! I know, I know. Once is a better film because of it, but gah.
Theyre just—theyre so cute, as evidenced by this Oscar acceptance speech. Tell me you didnt melt when Jon Stewart let Markéta Irglová come back onstage. My heart grew three sizes that day. And did you see how Laura Linney reacted? Precious.Though abstinence is all well and good, I will admit Im consoled by the fact that Hansard and Irglová are a couple IRL. Singing can be a great substitute for sex, but sex is a pretty good stand-in, too.