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Date and Venue 10 January 2012 at 7:30pm | Kay Meek Centre, West Vancouver Reviewers Nancie Ottem and John Jane
When John Travolta opened the envelope to reveal the winner for Best Original Song at the 2008 Academy Awards (the Oscars), songwriters and musicians Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová likely became the unlikeliest recipients of the award in the Academy’s eighty year history. Glen Hansard, then 38, is a rough n’ ready former Irish busker who left school at 13, Markéta Irglová was half Hansard’s age, born in the Czech Republic, came to Ireland as a young girl and now speaks English with a pronounced Irish accent. The song, Falling Slowly from the low-budget film Once, is a catchy folk-rock ballad that may not have even been nominated in a good year. But
what captured the public’s imagination was the “life-imitates-art”
story of the couple’s real life romance that mirrored the movie’s
screenplay. The Swell Season, which takes its title from the
name of the couple’s band, focuses on the aftermath of the pair’s
recognition at the Oscars. But fame can be a cruel mistress. August-Perna’s
engaging documentary is almost the bitter-sweet antithesis of Once
that is a fictional narrative that plays like a documentary. We watch as Glen and Markéta are driven apart by forces that neither could foresee nor can control when Markéta starts under unravel under the pressure of celebrity and Glen attempts to rise to the level of new expectations. Perhaps the most heart-wrenching moment in the film comes near the end; it features Markéta singing I Have Loved You Wrong. The singer’s rendition was so personal; it gave me a lump in my throat. The film ends with the outright disintegration of the pair’s emotional relationship, each performing as solo artists. The showing of the film was followed by a live discussion via SkypeTM with film-makers Nick August-Perna and Carlo Mirabella-Davis fielding questions from the audience. One interesting question raised concerned the extent to which the intrusion of the film crew may have contributed to the demise of Glen and Markéta’s relationship. August-Perna responded by saying that filming was probably the least intrusive element that the couple had to endure. The film was presented in conjunction with the Kay Meek Centre’s ‘Movies at the Meek’ series. © 2011 John Jane Chris Dapkins was the cinematographer for the film which was shot in black and white and reflects the personal journey of its stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival 2011 and was produced by Nick August-Perna who co-founded the Elkcreek Cinema. He wrote and directed the award winning short film “Knife Point.” This talented trio making up the creative force behind The Swell Season has achieved individual success. Chris’s short film “A Weak Signal” screened at TFF ’06 and Nick has worked for PBS’s “Wide Angle”, Human Rights Watch and Bloomberg TV. The Swell Season is the story of two people, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova who are drawn to each other through their love of music. It is the story of their personal journeys through music. One is a seasoned musician who left school at the age of 13 to pursue his dream. The other is at the start of her musical career. The Swell Season intertwines these two people in a story centred on their love of music and a shared innate talent which allows both of them to grow as musicians. This beautiful film falls softly onto the audience, slowly building to the final scene. Glen stands at the front of the stage at Radio City Music Hall which is the last stop on their American tour. He plays an acoustic guitar. He stands alone. Marketa is off- stage, smiling softly. It is a compelling moment. One that reflects purity and the joy these two musicians have for their music. Glen Hansard was born in Dublin, Ireland on April 21st, 1970. He is the Academy Award winning principal songwriter and vocalist/guitarist for the Irish group The Frames and ½ of the folk rock duo The Swell Season. He has appeared in the BAFTA winning film The Commitments, as well as starring in Once. His song “Falling Slowly” from Once, co-written with Marketa Irglova won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for 2007 and won him 10 other nominations or awards between 2007 and 2008. Marketa Irglova was born on February 28th, 1988 in the Czech Republic. She is a singer and a multi instrumentalist who is now pursuing a solo career. This modern day Ian and Sylvia bring a new interpretation to an established tradition of singing harmony in duo. Glen and Marketa sing with a purity and innocence of voice and lyrics that is very compelling. Life on the road, unfortunately, tears at these qualities.
The Swell Season paints an intimate portrait of Glen and Marketa. It brings the audience along on their musical journey, gives us a glimpse of their families and through the insights of the roadies and managers on the tour allows the viewer a first hand look at the stress that accompanies success. This film is very thoughtfully edited. While simultaneously following the developing relationship of Marketa and Glen as they travel on tour it reveals the pressure of life on tour. It exposes the conflict between creativity and the pressure of marketing. The audience sees the music business from both sides and sympathizes with the artists. The film reveals the true love for music that these two musicians share and for that the audience is with them and wishes them every success. If you love music in its raw purity this film should not be missed. © 2011 Nancie Ottem |
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90
minutes, USA, 2011, dir. Nick August-Perna, Chris Dapkins and Carlo
Mirabella-Davis